Blue cheese is an exquisite ingredient in many culinary masterpieces. Each piece intrigues with its complex taste, attracts with its elegant crust and delicate flesh. Which type of product will more delicately ennoble a salad, sauce or dessert: Roquefort with emerald veins, fluffy Camembert or fragrant pastel orange Livar...

Depending on the type of penicillin, manufacturing technology and cheese ripening conditions, snow-white, bluish-green or reddish-orange mold appears. The noble culture affects the texture of the product, its culinary characteristics, and gives it a characteristic taste and aroma. A seemingly beautiful slice is often repelled by its unusual pungent smell, pungency and spiciness. How can you avoid spoiling your food with a specific product? It's time to study the properties of each variety. – a topic for a separate article.

Delicacies with white mold

The cheese is intriguing with its snow-white and shaggy rind, sometimes with reddish threads. Mold thrives in special basements where the required humidity and temperature are maintained. Penicillin is thrown into water, and the resulting solution is sprinkled onto the pressed cheese mass. An elite and expensive product ripens for about 8 weeks: first, a dense shell is formed, and then a delicate center with a creamy, nutty or fruity flavor is formed.

Brie - favorite of French kings

The cheese is usually made from cow's milk, but sometimes goat's or sheep's milk is used, and Provençal herbs are added to some varieties. Brie can also be ripened at home before the first slice is cut. When purchasing, you should take a closer look at the appearance, because the delicacy has a short shelf life. A grayish tint of the pulp, a spotted crust and a pronounced ammonia smell indicate an overripe product - this will only cause harm and no benefit.

The velvety, famous cheese attracts with its nutty aroma and pleasant soft creamy taste with notes of mushrooms and fruits. Soft and melting flesh is hidden under the shaggy shell. Young brie has a slight sweetness, while mature brie has a sharp and bright aroma. The flavor of the delicacy is revealed only at room temperature, so you should not eat it chilled.

Brie de Meaux is sold in a box with a small layer of straw. Under the thin crust lies a yellowish, creamy and buttery pulp that practically does not spread. The cheese is famous for its rich aroma and pronounced sweetish-nutty flavor.

Brie de Melun has a more yellow and dense center than the first variety. It captivates with its bright aroma with notes of mold, cellar and hay, and captivates with its strong and refreshing taste. The French throw velvety pieces into the filling for baked goods, especially delicious with rustic bread after lunch.

Black brie (Brie Noir) stands out from the subgroup with a very pronounced aroma, rich notes and a long aftertaste, as it matures in special conditions throughout the year. It is covered with a gray-black, as if dusty, crust, which is slightly peeled off with the blunt side of a knife. Previously, it did not go on sale, as it was considered a cheese-makers' lunch: a couple of mugs of cheese were left in reserve for food. With each passing month, the taste range of black brie becomes brighter and more specific.

What is velvet cheese served with:

• brie goes well with melon, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, arugula and other lettuce leaves, apples (especially green ones), dark balsamic vinegar;
• it is added to batter, fondue, cottage cheese casseroles, pies, not to mention soups and main courses;
• the French bake croissants with a delicate melting cheese filling;
• puff pastry with apricots and brie is a unique delicacy;
• the pieces are breaded in fine breadcrumbs, fried in a frying pan (deep-fried), and served only hot with a heap of greens, fruits, and vegetables.

Camembert - a legend of Normandy

The delicacy visually resembles brie, and for good reason. The story goes that in gratitude for her salvation, one monk told a Norman girl the secret of making the popular French white mold cheese, and Napoleon named the unusual delicacy in honor of the village of Camembert.

Unlike its ancestor, the plush cheese is made smaller: weighing 300 grams and with a circle radius of 11 cm. It has fattier and denser flesh of a yellowish tint. There are pleasant notes of milk, earth, cellar and mold, fruit, mushroom, grass and nuts. As it ripens, its exquisite taste becomes salty and expressive. The texture in the center is soft, elastic at the edges, and excessive hardness and unpleasant bitterness are signs of an overripe product.

Real Norman Camembert (AC) is made only from cow's milk and is sold in a box made of thin veneer. Genuine cheese has a salty and slightly peppery taste, without a hint of sweetness. A special technology does not allow the product to be prepared before September and after May, but counterfeits are often found in the markets.

Amazing dishes are prepared with Camembert:

• baked in the oven with raisins and herbs, served with sweet and sour berry sauces;
• It is recommended to serve not with wine, but with Calvados and cider;
• cheese is combined with pears, apples, berries, homemade bread;
• the product is cut in half, soaked in liqueur or fortified wine, breaded and deep-fried, served with lingonberry sauce;
• It is correct to eat Camembert not immediately after refrigeration; it is better to postpone it for 15 minutes.

Buche de Chevre - exquisite piquancy

The cheese is made in Russia using French technology. It contains Spanish noble mold and milk from exotic Nubian goats. It looks like a large roll, covered with a thick layer of snow-white crust. It has a delicately pungent taste that intertwines with nutty notes near the velvety shell and a creamy flavor closer to the middle.

Buche de Chevre is eaten as a snack with sweet tea, made into hot sandwiches or added to salads. It is combined with mint, berries, grapes, asparagus, mixed salad, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and wine sauces. The product is cleaned of mold, breaded in almond flakes and fried in vegetable oil. Hot Buche de Chevre is served separately, decorated with raspberries and blueberries, or complements cold dishes.

Blue cheeses are royalty

Cheese with emerald veins has a piquant, slightly spicy and rich flavor profile. Mold (usually Penicillium roqueforti or glaucum) is injected using fine needles or added along with rennet. To prepare Roquefort using traditional technology, the crop is first grown on rye bread. Metal tubes must be inserted into the cheese pulp, since mold cannot develop without air. During the ripening process (3 months), the crust is thoroughly washed with a sponge, which also has a positive effect on the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Roquefort - the aristocratic cheese of France

The cheese matures under special conditions: low temperatures, high humidity and good ventilation. It is made exclusively from sheep's milk, which gives the product a complex and sharp taste with a nutty undertone. The pulp is white with beautiful greenish cells, firm and slightly crumbly.

Roquefort quickly deteriorates due to sudden temperature changes. It is not advisable to leave it on the table for more than 5 minutes; it is better to immediately cut off a piece for slicing and place the rest in the refrigerator. Cheese at room temperature should not be placed with a refrigerated product.

Roquefort is crushed and stuffed into vol-au-vents, prepared into soufflés, pies and sauces, served with pasta and all kinds of salads. It goes well with apples, grapes, citruses, and bean salad.

Gorgonzola (or Gorgonzola) - the pride of Italy

Noble Italian cheese is made from cow's milk (traditionally from morning and evening milking), which makes the product quite sharp, moderately fatty, with dense pulp. However, another gorgonzola with a milder taste, which is made from one milk yield, goes on sale. Its crust is a little rough, hard, reddish-orange in color with a whitish coating. The body of the cheese is yellowish-white or beige, especially near the shell, and puncture marks are visible. Emerald blue mold spreads throughout the area, creating interesting patterns. The cheese is fatty and soft, and may crumble slightly when slicing.

Popular varieties of Gorgonzola are called “dolce” and “picante”. The first one has a sweetish and delicate taste. The second is sharper, spicy and deep with a bright aroma, therefore it is more often used for cooking. The cheese matures for 2-4 months and is stored for no more than 30 days. It is not difficult to find out whether cheese has spoiled - an expired product develops a very strong unpleasant odor, the flesh becomes richly yellow, begins to harden and breaks down badly. A sticky, opaque liquid appears on the crust.

Any dish can be prepared from Gorgonzola, depending on its flavor palette:

• potato salad with crispy bacon rashers;
• cream sauce for roast veal;
• complement soufflés, pies, mousses, bruschettas, canapés;
• it is good with dark or white chocolate, citruses, watermelon, peaches;
• gives a peculiar aftertaste of game birds (hazel grouse and ducks);
• pizza and pasta will become more refined with a small amount.

Try it – the taste is divine!

Variety of savory blue cheeses

French bleu d'Auvergne has a pleasant oily, spicy and tart aftertaste with fruity notes, and amazes with the delicate aroma of mushrooms. Its flesh is loose, sticky, moist, dotted with marbled stains of blue-green mold. He is considered one of the best in his family. The crust is rough and dense, powdered with gray or orange bacterial culture. Cooks add Bleu d'Auvergne to flour products, pizzas, cheese soufflés, and pancakes. They prepare salads with croutons (be sure to grease the bread with butter), and they like to combine them with walnuts.

Danish Donablu is a salty and spicy cheese with a pronounced refreshing sourness. It has a sticky crust, beautiful flesh with dark blue veins and carelessly scattered cells. The center is creamy and soft, with moderate fat content. The product is perfectly sliced, which allows you to decorate the dish more beautifully than with Gorgonzola or Roquefort. It is difficult to choose a wine for it; it is better to combine it with gin or Danish aquavit (a strong tincture of spices and herbs).

No less refined is the German “Dor Blue”, the manufacturing features of which have been considered a trade secret of “Caeserai Champignon Hofmeister” for more than a century. The same company produces one of the varieties of Dor Blue cheese - Grand Blue.

Delicacies with red mold - a gourmet's dream

Red-rind cheeses differ from other dairy delicacies in their unique preparation technology. Noble crops are not added to the mass; they themselves are formed during the ripening process in cold cellars with humidity up to 98%. The crust is periodically cleaned with brushes, washed with brine or alcoholic beverages (wine, cider, Calvados), due to which the mold changes color and gives the cheese a pronounced and not always pleasant aroma. The flesh is usually tender and creamy, sometimes with a fragile center. The delicacy acquires interesting colors: yellowish, reddish-brown, sometimes with a reddish tint and a white coating of mold.

French cheeses with washed rinds

In the old days, Livaro replaced meat products for the population. It has a rich, spicy, piquant taste and specific smell. Mature cheese has an unusual aftertaste with a hint of dried meat. The consistency of the pulp is homogeneous, dense, fine-grained, slightly elastic, moderately fatty. The shell is bright, golden-brown and glossy with a white coating. Distinctive features of livaro: the sides of the cheese are wrapped around 5 strips of reed or paper so that it does not settle during the ripening process. Its crust is washed with brine, into which annatto food coloring is thrown. Real Livaro AC is produced exclusively in Pays d'Auge (Normandy province). The delicacy is especially good for hot dishes, salads and desserts.

Reblochon began to be prepared in the distant Middle Ages, mainly after the arrival of tax collectors. To reduce milk yield during inspections, cows were milked in a special way. After the uninvited guests left, the process was repeated, and fattier and richer raw materials were obtained for making cheese. This type of milk was called “rebloche”. The crust of the delicacy is thin, yellowish or pale orange in color, and covered with white mold pollen. The pulp is elastic, pliable, and has a creamy consistency. The aroma is reminiscent of pastures and flower fields with a pleasant hint of a damp cellar. Reblochon attracts with its bright salty, nutty and creamy flavor with fruity notes. On rustic cheese pucks there is a green circle, on factory-made ones there is a red one. The latter differs from the traditional product: milk from three different breeds is not used, and there is no specific herbal aroma.

Epoisse fascinates with its contrast: a sharp, strong aroma and delicate creamy taste. During the ripening process, the rind is washed with brine and wine diluted with water. It turns out slightly ribbed, red-brown in color with a bright red tint. The pulp is pliable and has a delicate consistency. The taste is quite complex, sweetish-salty, with pronounced creamy and mineral tones. The aroma resembles the specific taste of grape vodka. Young cheeses have a brittle and hard center with a fruity aroma, but as they ripen it becomes softer and the smell becomes acrid and pungent. For desserts, salads and snacks, only an adult product is used.

Munster-Jerome is an original delicacy. Its crust is slightly uneven, moist and glossy, yellow-orange in color with a reddish tint. The cheese pulp is homogeneous, creamy, but quite dense and elastic. The sweetish taste of the young product becomes sharper every day, and more pronounced spicy notes appear. To enhance the specific aroma, cumin is sometimes added, and caraway seeds make the product more piquant. Münster occupies a special place in Alsatian cuisine. They are sprinkled on potato dishes or added to salads, served with Alsatian beer or wine.

Taleggio - Italian luxury

The cheese attracts with its aromatic orange rind with a thin white coating (the authentic product must have a stamp on it). The consistency is delicate, creamy, but elastic, and spreads slightly at room temperature. The pulp is attractive with a beautiful ivory color. The taste is pleasant, slightly sweet with a gentle sourness and a fruity aftertaste. The product is not spicy even as it ripens, it only becomes richer. The taste and aroma contain subtle notes of damp cellars, sometimes truffles. Taleggio is traditionally prepared in the summer, exclusively from the milk of cows tired after grazing. It’s a pity that it is produced for export all year round, which greatly affects the taste. Taleggio goes well with spaghetti and is included in many salads, sauces and hot dishes.

Cheeses with red rind are a real gourmet treat. However, you should not buy if there is a strong ammonia smell, the casing is excessively wet and sticky, and the wrapper is firmly attached to the product. The delicacy should not burn the tongue or throat, despite its specific spiciness.

Properly selected aristocratic cheese will add piquant notes and a bright aftertaste to an ordinary dish. Even a small piece of the delicacy will highlight the flavor of other components in an original way.

At the end of the video on how to tell if blue cheese is fresh or not:

What is blue cheese? These are special varieties of cheese that are produced with the addition of types of food mold that are safe for the body. As a rule, this is a mold from the genus Penicillium (It has a specific smell and taste, is used in the production of expensive varieties of cheese such as brie, camembert (French camembert) - a type of soft, fatty cheese made from cow's milk). The color of mold can be different: blue, light blue, greenish, white, etc. Mold can only cover the top of the cheese “head” or be inside the cheese mass in the form of spectacular veins. Most noble mold cheeses are made from cow's milk. An exception is the famous Roquefort cheese, which is made from sheep's milk.

Cheeses can be roughly classified into blue cheeses and soft cheeses. For the most part, these cheeses belong to the elite category.

Their ripening period is from 2 to 6 weeks. Shades of taste and aroma can be very diverse, depending on the method of preparation. There are several types of soft cheeses. Some go on sale immediately after production, others require short aging and, depending on this, they can be divided into two groups:

1) white cheeses- cheeses on the surface of which a thin white crust forms with a coating of mold, which is specially cultivated by spraying penicillin.

As a result, the cheeses acquire a piquant, unique taste and smell - slightly ammonia, mushroom or hot-pepper. The most popular cheese in this group is Camembert. It has a dense, oily consistency and a characteristic smell of damp earth, moss and mushrooms.

2) blue cheeses- cheeses that ripen from the inside, resulting in a bluish mold on the surface. The famous Roquefort belongs to this group. It is aged in deep cellars, and its taste depends on the length of maturation. The white or faint yellow dough, riddled with streaks of blue-green mold, gives the appearance of marbled coloring. Blue cheeses have a buttery or grainy consistency and have a tangy or salty-spicy flavor and mushroom aroma. They are made using a very simple but labor-intensive technology. Milk for cheeses is curdled at 30 degrees. The cheese mass is not pressed, but suspended in gauze, and the whey drains naturally. After two weeks, the cheese is salted and pierced with long needles containing mold fungi. Thus, blue veins spread throughout the entire volume of the cheese mass.

Soft cheeses can be divided into two more groups:

With washed edges;

With natural edges.

Edge-washed cheeses have a strong smell of hay, mushrooms, hazelnuts and mold, and their taste ranges from mild to very strong. As a result of regularly washing cheese wheels in brine, wine, beer or whey, ordinary mold does not appear (or appears, but then disappears), and therefore red mold bacteria develop. It stays on the edges so the crust turns a creamy orange or brown color. Cheese dough most often turns out yellow. Burgundy is considered the recognized birthplace of soft cheeses with washed rinds. Typical varieties of this group include Epoisse, Maroi, Aivaro, Munster, Remoudou. Cheeses with natural edges are made from sheep and goat milk. Due to special processing, they have slightly wrinkled edges. Over time, the wrinkles increase and a bluish-gray mold appears. Young cheese has a fresh, fruity taste, but over time it becomes very sharp, with a nutty flavor. Among these cheeses, the most famous are Chabichoux du Poiteau, Sainte-Maur and Crottin de Chavignolles.

Ardi-Gasna

The cheese is made from sheep's milk. The taste depends on the quality of the milk, the condition of the pastures, climate and other factors affecting its ripening. Ardi-Gasna is made high in the Alps, in the hiyasins of shepherds, where it matures in cool cellars for 3 to 6 months. The outside of the cheese is smooth, cast in various shades, from brown to yellow-gray. Its natural edges are crusty, sometimes with a slight gray coating of mold. Inside, its color ranges from light yellow to straw yellow. Has a few eyes. Firm to the touch, but pressed under your fingers. The taste is nutty, fresh, and with good ripening it acquires a pleasant piquancy. Circles of this cheese weigh 3 - 5 kg, their diameter is 20-30 cm.

Bleu d'Auvergne

This French blue cheese, marked with a special quality mark, is an analogue of Roquefort. Bleu d'Auvergne cheese has been produced since the 19th century in the Santal Mountains from cow's milk from special breeds of cows typical of that area. The cheese matures for three months in a damp cellar. Like any other blue mold cheese, it is riddled with blue-green veins of mold. The cheese mass of Bleu d'Auvergne is moist, sticky and slightly loose, but should not be crumbly. The cheese has a strong pungent aroma and a spicy, not too salty taste.

d" Auvergne

The cheese is made from cow's milk. Ripens in a damp cellar for 3 months. The cheese is covered with blue mold, and its circles are riddled with bluish-gray veins. It has a strong aroma and a spicy, not too salty taste. The cheese dough is moist, sticky and slightly crumbly, but in no way grainy. The weight of the cylinder is 2 - 3 kg, diameter - 10-20 cm. The cheese is marked with the AOC quality mark.

Bleu du Haut-Jura

The cheese is made from cow's milk. It is also found commercially under the name Bleu de Setmoncel or Bleu de Ges. During the manufacturing process, the cheese is filled with blue mold, which gives it its blue color. Ripens for 2 months. Bleu de Ges is best eaten in summer and autumn, and Bleu de Setmoncels is best eaten in autumn and winter. A good cheese has an impeccable crust and has an unclear, slightly bitter taste with a slight hint of mushrooms. The weight of the circle is up to 75 kg, diameter is 36 cm. The cheese is marked with the AOC quality mark.

The cheese is made from cow's milk. Soft Brie cheese has been known in France for several centuries. For the production of this cheese, exclusively fresh (not pasteurized) milk is used. The milk is fermented with rennet, and after two hours the curd is placed into molds.

The cheese remains unloaded for 24 hours. It is then removed from the molds and salt is sprinkled on its surface. Brie matures within 2-4 weeks and develops a characteristic red color on its surface due to the growth of pigment-forming bacteria. Ripening occurs due to the activity of mold enzymes penetrating inside. The consistency of mature cheese can vary from waxy to semi-liquid. The cheese has a pungent taste and ammonia smell. The weight of the circle is 1.2 kg, diameter is 37 cm.

Camembert(Camembert de Normandie)

The cheese is made from cow's milk. This is one of the most famous soft cheeses. Camembert can be difficult to produce in hot weather, so it is usually made between September and May. Under favorable conditions, mold growth occurs rapidly, and very soon the surface of the white mold turns blue, so that the cheese has a bluish-gray appearance. The cheese is then transferred to another basement room with a temperature of approximately 10 ° C and high humidity. Under these conditions, mold growth slows down significantly, and the mold itself takes on a reddish-brown color. The cheese now becomes viscous and is considered ripe.

It should be soft to the touch, but not crumble when cut. A hard center surrounded by a semi-liquid mass near the rinds indicates that the cheese is poorly prepared. A good Camembert should be covered with a velvety white crust, and the “wrinkles” should have a slight pink-red tint. The smell is fresh, perhaps with a mushroom note. The taste is delicate, and in no case should it taste like ammonia. The product is transported in light wooden boxes or packed in straw, six cheeses at a time. They try to sell Camembert as quickly as possible, since it is poorly stored. Because of this, it is often sold unripe. In this case, it can be left to ripen at home. Before use, Camembert is placed in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator. Cut cheese no longer ripens, so it is better to eat it as quickly as possible. Disc weight - 35-45 kg. Marked with the AOC quality mark.

Roquefort

The cheese is made from sheep's milk. It is perhaps the most famous of all blue cheeses. There are a great many imitations of this cheese, the names of which speak for themselves. For example, the Danish Roquefort, which is made from cow's milk. Traditionally, rye bread is used to form mold. In addition, the cheeses are pierced with long needles and sprinkled with dried rye mold. Then Roquefort mold settles in the air channels, which subsequently forms blue-gray streaks. Real Roquefort matures for at least 3 months in limestone caves. In the early stages of ripening, sheep's milk cheese has a strong taste that not everyone likes. However, this flavor either disappears or softens during the subsequent ripening process. The cheese also leaves a peculiar aftertaste. The most successful seasons for making it are winter, spring and early summer. Cylinder weight - 2.5-2.9 kg. The cheese is marked with the AOC quality mark.

And here is A. Dumas’ description of Roquefort cheese. This is a cheese that is produced in the town of Roquefort-en-Rouergue, in Aveyron. It is made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk, which is heated, curdled and placed in a mold. After this, each such small mass is surrounded with a strap so that the cheese mass does not spread. Cheeses are dried in basements, where there must be a very strong draft. They are then salted by covering them with a layer of salt and several cheeses are placed on top of each other after they have been salted for three to four days. The cheeses are left to ripen, carefully peeled and washed each time a more or less colored layer appears on the surface. When this colored layer turns red and white, the cheeses are ready to eat. This usually happens after three to four months of the cheese being in the cellar. We recommend Roquefort cheese, which is rightfully considered one of our best cheeses.

Saint-Marcellin

The cheese is made from cow's milk. Ripens in 4-6 weeks. At the end of ripening, its orange rind becomes covered with a slight coating of mold, and the taste becomes slightly nutty and salty. Over time, the cheese dries, acquiring a spicy aroma, but its pulp should not crumble. Disc weight - 80 g.

Gorgonzola

Only two regions of Italy historically associated with the production of Gorgonzola can legally produce cheese and only in the following provinces: Novara, Vercelli, Cuneo, Biella, Verbania and the Monferrato territories in Piedmont and Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Monza, Pavia and Varese in Lombardy. The milk used in the production of Gorgonzola comes from cows grazing on pastures only in these provinces. Only such cheese can receive DOP status - Protected Designation of Origin.

Gorgonzola is a white cow's milk cheese with green streaks of mold. It is soft, with a creamy, slightly sweet taste. Before use, remove gorgonzola from the refrigerator for about half an hour. During this time, it takes on the correct consistency and taste. Gorgonzola is aged for 2 months for the sweet type and 3 months for the savory type. To enable consumers to identify genuine cheese, the Consortium provides manufacturers with foil with the letter “g” printed on it. Such foil may only be held by companies authorized by the consortium.

Danablu

Danish cheese made from cow's milk. Its creation was inspired by Danish cheese makers from Roquefort. This cheese is also called Mormora. Pasty, matures for 2-3 months and is more suitable for everyday use.

Danablu(Danish Danablu) is a type of blue cheese made in Denmark. International name - Danish Blue. Similar to Roquefort, but made from cow's milk.

Wine and cheese are classics of intelligent libations. There are several general rules when serving cheese with wine. It is advisable that the cheese and wine be made in the same country. It is important to remember that the brighter the taste of the cheese, the stronger and more mature the wine should be. Before serving the cheese to the table, you need to keep it on the table at room temperature for some time, only after that the entire flavor palette of the cheese will be revealed.

Camembert and Roquefort are good served as an appetizer before lunch and dinner. Soft round cheeses are usually cut in half, and blue cheeses are cut into cubes. The taste of Camembert is perfectly complemented by young red wines. And the unique taste of Roquefort is emphasized by dry red vintage wine drinks. These types of cheeses are especially popular in France. The success of French soft cheeses is attributed to the mild climate. The production of these cheeses is especially successful on small farms located near large cities or resorts.

And a few words about the cheese plate

A cheese plate is a dish for aesthetes. For it to be “correct” it must contain at least five types of cheese. A cheese plate can be served as a main course or as a dessert. In the first case, the pieces of cheese are larger, and each participant in the meal is entitled to a device. In the second case, the cheese is complemented with fruit and can be served on skewers. Pears go well with Brie and Camembert, grapes go well with Roquefort, cherries and pineapple complement Cheddar and Beaufort, and various nuts go well with all cheeses. Delicate cheeses absorb odors well. So it is important not to combine too aromatic cheeses with each other. As a rule, the freshest cheese is left for six hours. Further clockwise, according to increasing spice. Cheese is eaten in the same order.

Benefits and harms

Blue cheeses are healthy in small quantities. They contain a lot of calcium, an extensive complex of vitamins of both water- and fat-soluble groups, and phosphorus salts. Blue cheese is also a good source of protein, which is rich in essential amino acids. But there is also some danger!

As described above, fungi of the genus penicillium are used to produce blue cheese. Not all fungi of this genus secrete a large amount of antibiotics, but trace amounts of substances that destroy the cell wall of bacteria are contained in all fungi of this genus (fungi need antibiotics in order to suppress the growth of bacteria nearby and fully utilize nutrient substrates).

When blue cheeses are consumed in moderation, small doses of antibiotics in them are completely harmless. But, if you eat blue cheeses every day, antibiotics may well cause a disruption in the composition of the intestinal microflora, especially after gastrointestinal infections and antibiotic therapy.

In addition, fungi that are found in blue cheeses are quite a strong allergen. Therefore, excessive consumption of blue cheeses can lead to allergic rashes and hives. For this number of reasons, doctors do not recommend cheese to pregnant women and nursing mothers. Due to the fact that cheeses are high in calories, nutritionists advise consuming no more than 50 g of blue cheeses per day.

The benefits of blue cheese, can blue cheese be harmful?

It is believed that cheese appeared in the human diet almost simultaneously with bread, or even earlier.

Today about benefits of cheese and its high nutritional value is known to everyone. It contains a lot of protein, and this protein is very easily absorbed by our body, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. There is as much calcium in cheese as there is in no other product: neither in vegetables and fruits, nor in eggs and legumes, nor in cereals, nor even in other dairy products. To get the daily requirement of calcium, it is enough to eat 100 grams of good cheese - however, you need to be able to understand the quality of cheese.

There are currently about 2,000 varieties of cheese, and of course new ones are emerging. We will briefly talk about one of the most exotic types of cheese for the residents of our country - blue cheese.

That blue cheese is a delicacy, everyone has also heard, but not all of our compatriots have tried this type of cheese. The reasons may be different: fears, rejection, lack of information, inability to use such cheese correctly, and simply lack of money - after all, elite varieties of blue cheese are quite expensive. However, you can choose - you just need to know how to do it correctly.

First of all, people are put off by the smell of such cheese - it smells so bad that it seems already spoiled. And the taste is unusual, not like our usual Russian or other cheeses: processed, hard, soft, pickled, etc. True cheese connoisseurs understand that blue cheese is truly a delicacy, and they know that they should eat it rarely and little by little. This cheese should not be consumed as an everyday food product, as it can cause certain health problems.

It can be hard or soft, but is made mainly from the fattest cow's milk. True, some varieties of such cheese are made from goat and sheep milk - these include one of the most famous - Roquefort, as well as some cheeses from Eastern European countries.

There are several types of blue cheese, but the differences between them are not very significant. The first type includes cheeses with a white mold rind. The most famous of them are “Camembert” and “Brie”, which we have also heard a lot about.

To produce these cheeses, milk is curdled and then salted. This cheese ripens in basements where molds of the penicillin family live - all the walls there are covered with them, and they are called “noble mold”. Mature cheese has such fluffy mold that the entire crust is covered.

The next type is blue mold cheeses, or rather, cheeses with blue mold - also noble. On the cut of such cheese we see many greenish-blue inclusions, and the most famous varieties are Roquefort, Fourme d'Ambert, Gorgonzola, Bleu de Causse.

Curdled milk is placed in a special form; When the whey has drained, the cheese is rubbed with salt and a specific strain of fungus is introduced. To do this, special metal needles are inserted into the resulting cheese mass, which help mold to spread better, and the cheese is placed in a well-ventilated room for ripening. Probably, many people paid attention to the unusual stains and veins that are clearly visible on the cut of this type of cheese.

There are other types mold cheeses- with washed crust. They are also called red mold or spicy. During the ripening process, this type of cheese is washed with a special brine to prevent the formation of ordinary mold. Then the cheese is treated with special fungal cultures, thanks to which the cheese crust turns red, burgundy, orange or yellow. The type of cheese is distinguished by the color of the rinds.

All types and varieties mold cheeses They are united by the technology of their production: they are processed with strains of various penicillin fungi.

Is blue cheese healthy?

Is blue cheese healthy? for good health? It is useful if eaten in small quantities and not too often. It contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, various vitamins, as well as protein containing the amino acids we need.

Many nutritionists believe that such cheese also contains beneficial bacteria that help the functioning of the intestines, and Turkish scientists have discovered another beneficial property of mold cheeses: noble mold contains special substances that can protect our skin from sunlight. When these substances accumulate in the subcutaneous layer, we produce more melanin, and the risk of sunburn is significantly reduced.

How to eat blue cheese correctly? It has a sharp, pronounced taste, so it is recommended to serve it with strong drinks, such as tannic wines. However, some connoisseurs and connoisseurs of cheese argue that it is generally incompatible with wine, with the exception of some white wines.

Serve when warmed to room temperature, with vegetables, fruits, crackers and crispbread. The British eat this cheese with herbs and add it to soup, the Italians add it to pizza and sauces, and the Danes simply eat it with bread. Salads can also be prepared with the addition of mold cheeses, with the exception of Roquefort - it is better not to mix it with anything, but to eat it separately.

Can blue cheeses be harmful?

The fact is that the penicillin fungi used to produce this type of cheese produce antibiotics that suppress the growth of unwanted bacteria. That is why at one time they learned to make penicillin from them.

If you eat blue cheeses rarely and little by little, then there is no danger to health, but their frequent consumption can negatively affect the intestinal microflora, and even cause dysbiosis, especially after diseases associated with intestinal infections.

In addition, fungi contained in cheeses can cause allergies if consumed frequently. The fat content in these types of cheese is also quite high, so we get quite a lot of calories from it. A healthy person can consume no more than 50 grams of cheese per day, but less is still better.

It is strictly forbidden to be consumed by pregnant women, as mold fungi can have a bad effect on the fetus and even cause its death. Young children are also not given blue cheese to prevent the development of listeriosis, a dangerous disease that affects the liver, lymph nodes and nervous system.

How to choose the right blue cheese?

How to choose and buy blue cheese correctly? In blue cheese, the channels through which mold entered it should not be too noticeable, and in general, there should not be too many cavities filled with blue mold in the cheese.

The cheese should be slightly crumbly, moist and tender, and should not crumble.

You should not immediately buy Roquefort or Camembert - they have too unusual taste and smell. You can buy soft cream cheese, or Brie, and try it with pears or grapes. If you really want to start with “blue” cheeses, then you can first buy cream cheese, which is quite compatible with sweet tea and coffee.

When choosing soft cheese with a white mold rind, pay attention to the smell. Good cheese has a slight “penicillin” smell. The rind of the cheese should be light, usually white, with slightly visible marks from the grill on which it was aged. Read the ingredients carefully: it should contain milk, enzymes that allow the cheese to ripen, salt and penicillin. Preservatives and dyes are not added to real cheese.

The cheese tastes like fresh butter, with a slight sourness or bitterness, and melts in your mouth. A dry layer along the crust may indicate that the cheese has been stored for a long time. There should be very few holes in the cheese, otherwise it is considered not of very high quality.

How to store blue cheese?

And finally, how to store cheese. The air temperature should be no lower than 0 and no higher than 5°C, and humidity – 90%. It is better to store cheese not in the refrigerator, but in a special cabinet, if possible. There should be a constant flow of fresh air and no light should fall on the cheese.

It is best to store blue cheese in the shell in which it was purchased, and always cover the cut, otherwise the fungus will begin to grow. In general, soft cheese should not be stored in plastic wrap or a bag: wrap it in wax paper.

Cheese is one of the most valuable products in our diet, helping us live, grow and develop. Good cheese contains many elements that we need in life, and it is also very tasty. So let your favorite varieties of cheese always be on your table!

Gataulina Galina
for women's magazine InFlora.ru

Blue cheeses. Selection, storage, benefits and harms of such products

Blue cheeses appeared on our table quite recently. Although in Europe, products of this type have long been popular among gourmets. The debate about the benefits and harms of blue cheeses still continues. In this article we will try to shed light on such an exotic product for our country as blue cheese.

Types of blue cheese. Before you can figure out whether blue cheese is good or bad, you need to classify this type of cheese. The fact is that there are several options for such products. They have different tastes and contain different types of mold.

The first type of blue cheese is a cheese whose crust is covered with a white coating. This is the smallest group of blue cheeses, but it includes the well-known Camembert and Brie in our country. The white mold that covers these cheeses is formed by placing traditionally prepared cheese in special cellars, the walls of which are covered with fungi belonging to the genus Penicillum.

Another type of blue cheese is cheese that contains greenish-blue mold inside. Famous representatives of this group include Roquefort and Fourme d'Ambert.

The technology for producing blue cheese from this group is somewhat different from cheeses covered with white mold. In order for mold to develop inside the cheese, it is added to the curd mass using special tubes. If you cut such cheese, you will see characteristic traces of the pipes through which mold entered the product.

There is another variety of such a product - this group is similar to the first variety, but only they develop not white mold, but red mold. Before the stage of processing such a product with bacteria, this type of cheese can be made at home. Cheese that is in the process of ripening is treated with cultures, which give the mold its red color. This category of cheeses includes Munster and Livaro.

Are blue cheeses healthy or harmful? It is impossible to categorically answer whether blue cheeses are beneficial or harmful. But we can definitely say that blue cheeses are not harmful in an amount of 50 grams. per person per day. This figure was derived by nutritionists, since consuming blue cheese in large quantities has a negative impact on the calories consumed. If you are not prone to gaining excess weight, then the dose of blue cheese consumption can be increased. But not by much.

Don't forget about mold. In small doses it is harmless, but the more mold enters the body, the more difficult it is for the stomach to process it, and hence problems associated with the intestinal microflora arise. This happens because the fungus that is part of the mold produces antibiotics. Thanks to this property, penicillin was invented. These antibiotics are needed to suppress the development of other bacteria in cheese; they can also kill the bacteria in our intestines, which can cause dysbiosis.

Blue cheese is especially dangerous for children, people with allergies and pregnant women. People who have had gastrointestinal infections should also avoid eating blue cheese.

But what are the benefits of blue cheese? It certainly is. These cheeses contain a lot of calcium. Moreover, calcium, thanks to “noble” mold, is better absorbed by the body. This product contains the phosphorus salt needed by our body, many types of vitamins, some of which have the ability to dissolve fats. Protein from blue cheeses is enriched with amino acids, which play the role of muscle builders in our body.

More recently, another positive function of blue cheese was discovered. It turns out that when this product is consumed, microelements are deposited under the human skin, which form melanin, which in turn protects the skin from the harmful effects of sunlight. This discovery was made by Turkish scientists by analyzing mold from several types of cheese.

How to select and store blue cheese. The culture of eating blue cheese in our country has not yet developed, and therefore the quality of this type of cheese sold leaves much to be desired. Of course, you need to check the expiration date and release date of the product. If the numbers suit you, look at the cheese. If it is “blue cheese”, then the channels through which the mold was introduced should not be noticeable. High-quality cheese feels slightly soft and crumbly to the touch. But this does not mean that it should fall apart in your hands.

If you decide to buy cheese with white mold, then smell it. The normal smell is the “hospital” smell of penicillin. A good blue cheese contains only milk, salt, fungus and enzymes. The remaining ingredients that can be found in ordinary cheeses are absent in expensive noble cheeses.

How to store blue cheese. Proper storage of blue cheese is the key to its benefits. You need to buy blue cheese in small quantities, for one or two servings. In the homeland of blue cheese in France, special cabinets are produced for them. The refrigerator is not suitable for this. If you still have to store the cheese for a long time, then it is better to leave it in the casing in which it was sold. The cut is covered with paper. Polyethylene is highly undesirable for packaging such cheese.

Blue cheeses are a relatively new product. In order to get to know him correctly, you need to follow all the recommendations that we wrote about in this article.

This unusual-looking foreign delicacy appeared on Russian shelves relatively recently. But he has already managed to win the hearts of fans and find his convinced opponents. Some people talk about the extreme usefulness of the product, others claim that eating such cheese is harmful and can cause an exacerbation of certain diseases. Are blue cheeses good or bad? Let's figure it out together.

This useful... mold

Undoubtedly, a high-quality, well-prepared and properly stored product is very useful. Mold, in this case, ennobles it and gives additional healing qualities. The product has a gentle effect on the digestive tract, is completely digested and absorbed by the body. It contains essential acids, a large amount of vitamins and microelements. They say that regular consumption of such cheeses prevents the development of caries.

It's all about the mold. It helps to activate digestion and improve the health of the stomach and intestines. After all, mold contains living bacteria that improve the functioning of these organs and, in addition, protects human skin from sunburn. The fact is that beneficial bacteria activate the production of melanin.

The founders of the production of blue cheese, the French, claim that regular consumption of this healthy product reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Types of cheeses and mold color

In France, and throughout the world, this product is considered a delicacy and does not mean drinking kilograms of it, just as it is not customary to drink champagne in liters. Typically, thin slices of various types of cheese are collected on a plate (cheese plate), beautifully decorated and served as a noble appetizer with dry white wine.

Moreover, the molds that are used in preparing the product differ in color. Depending on this, cheeses have different names. For example, with blue mold - blue varieties. With white mold - white varieties.

One of the famous products of this type is Roquefort, made from sheep's milk. Blue varieties also include the famous Dor Blue, Stilton and Orgonzola.
White varieties that have a delicate taste and a milky moldy crust include Camembert and Brie.

Let's find out the benefits of “blue” and “white” cheeses:

Blue mold

It must be said that blue mold, which is part of the cheese body, is a natural source of the antibiotic penicillin. In small quantities, this substance does not harm health; on the contrary, it can be beneficial. But blue varieties may be contraindicated for people who are intolerant to penicillin and lactose. You should not eat them if you have fungal diseases, for example, thrush, dysbacteriosis.

White mold

Unlike blue mold, white mold is not located inside the cheese body, but outside. White varieties are extremely delicate with a delicate, noble taste. To obtain them, ripening cheese, at the final stage of production, is placed in a special environment where the required temperature and humidity are maintained. The atmosphere of this environment is saturated with white mold spores. As a result, the entire surface of the cheese body is covered with a white, soft coating, reminiscent of fluff.

Under the influence of this fluffy coating, the finished product acquires juiciness, tenderness, a pleasant taste and aroma, very, very reminiscent of mushroom.

Why should you eat blue cheese?

These products are undoubtedly healthy, as they contain large amounts of calcium. Moreover, it is thanks to mold that this element is easily and completely absorbed by the human body. It must also be said that in terms of the amount of protein, these products are superior to fish and eggs combined.

Cheeses contribute to the normal formation and strengthening of muscle tissue, as they contain essential amino acids. In addition, these overseas products are rich in vitamins and rare microelements, in particular phosphorus.

Can they do harm?

They will not cause harm if you adhere to the recommended amount - 50 g of product per day. It is not recommended to consume cheese in large quantities, as it will be difficult for the stomach to digest such an amount of mold. In this regard, abuse of this delicacy can disrupt the balance of intestinal microflora, which, in turn, can lead to the development of dysbacteriosis, intestinal disorder, and flatulence.

In connection with all of the above, we can conclude that blue cheeses are a useful invention of French cheese makers. They can and should be included in your diet. However, even with a great love for cheese, you need to know when to stop and not eat more than the recommended amount of this delicacy per day - 50 g. And besides, pay attention to your health and do not refuse the product if it is contraindicated for you. Be healthy!

Blue cheese with mold has been known for many years; it has been used since ancient times. Many people deny themselves the pleasure of eating such a product because they believe that it will harm their health, although the opposite is true. The category of blue mold cheeses includes products that have a specific green with a blue tint to the color of the cheese mass (see photo).

During production, mold of the genus Penicillium is most often used. Cheese is produced similarly to other options: first, milk is curdled by introducing starter, and then cheese heads are formed. Then, using special needles, mold is introduced into the mass. Then the heads are sent for maturation, during which mold spreads.

The most famous representatives of blue cheeses with mold are: Roquefort, Dor Blue and Gorgonzola.

If this is your first time trying a similar product, then start with soft Brie cheese and only after that switch to Roquefort, as you need to get used to its smell and specific taste.

Types of blue cheeses

There are many types of blue mold cheeses. In these varieties, the mold is located inside the cheese, and not outside. The taste of a dairy product depends on the ingredients used, the production method and the degree of ripening.

The following varieties of blue mold cheeses are widely known:

1. Bergader. Produced in Upper Bavaria. Cheese made from pasteurized milk, semi-hard consistency, with a creamy-sweet flavor. The taste of mold is pungent and slightly salty. Bergader cheese is recommended to be added to sauces, hot dishes, meat and fish delicacies, served with vegetables, lasagna, and spread on fresh and fried slices of bread. You can also snack on cheese with port wine and fortified red wine.
2. Blue de Langruty. Made in Switzerland. Belongs to varieties of cheese with a semi-hard consistency. The cheese has a creamy flavor, is slightly spicy, and has a spicy aroma. You can eat it as a snack with jam or honey.
3. BlueDelis. The dairy product matures in a cool room for about eight weeks. The result is a cheese with a soft structure, salty taste and spicy aftertaste. In cooking, it is often used to make salads, blue cheese sauce and pizza. Suitable for use with steak, beer, wine, honey, grapes, nuts and jam.
4. Gorgonzola. Made in Italy from whole goat or cow milk (sometimes the two types of milk are mixed). The texture of the cheese can be soft and crumbly. Gorgonzola requires at least four months to ripen. If the cheese is aged longer, the consistency becomes firmer. Soft cheese matures for fifty days, while spicy cheese takes up to four months to make. Gorgonzola goes well with walnuts, fruits and vegetables. Sauces and souffles have an incomparable taste and aroma if you add this product to them.
5. Grand Blue. Pasteurized cow's milk is used to make cheese. A product with a creamy taste and soft consistency.
6. Dor blue. Produced in Germany. The cheese is not of a very hard consistency, the surface is covered with a white crust, and veins of blue mold are visible inside. The product tastes slightly oily, salty, and slightly bitter. The cheese is aged in cellars for about five months. Dor blue is sometimes called “blue gold” because it is in demand in many countries around the world. In cooking it is used to prepare a variety of appetizers, cold or hot dishes, and sauces. Suitable for serving with red wine.
7. Castello. This cheese is produced in Denmark. To prepare it, cow's milk is mixed with cream, and then the milk mixture is pasteurized. The cheese is creamy, with a salty, spicy and mushroom flavor. Ripens in ten weeks. Pairs well with semi-sweet white wine. Great to eat with fruits such as apples and pears. Castello cheese can be added to salads and fish cakes.
8. Kuban Blues. It is characterized by a rather bright taste of hazelnuts with a delicate and piquant aftertaste. The cheese belongs to the semi-hard varieties. Fans of this product recommend eating it with jam, honey, pear, currants, mango, strawberries and grapes.
9. Mastarablu. Made in Armenia. To create cheese, they take milk, table salt and mold brought from France. Ripens in sixty days.
10. Mont Blue. Salty cheese with hazelnut flavor. It is recommended to eat with a slice of white bread, and also combine with fresh vegetables, nuts, avocado and red wine.
11. Roquefort. Produced in France from goat milk. The product matures for several months (from three to ten) and only in the Roquefort-sur-Soulzon cave, since it is there that there are special bacteria that are used to make this cheese. To speed up the growth of mold, slices of rye bread are left in the cave. Roquefort has a very spicy but pleasant taste. The surface of the cheese is white, and inside there are streaks of blue mold.
12. Rocforti. Belongs to hard cheese varieties. Made from cow's milk, animal enzyme, table salt, bacterial starter and mold. The aroma of the cheese is close to the smell of sour milk and yeast. The taste of the product is creamy, slightly spicy. The taste of mold is practically not felt.
13. Chizzy. It is made from pasteurized cow's milk, quite salty, the top of the cheese is covered with green mold, and the inside is blue. Pairs well with red wine and fruit.

We can conclude that all varieties of blue mold cheeses are divided into soft and hard varieties, and also have a specific aroma and taste that will be appreciated only by select gourmets who are by nature connoisseurs of delicate and refined dishes.

How to select and store?

When choosing blue cheese, pay attention to the cut: the cheese channels should not be too obvious and there should be few of them. Despite the rather loose consistency, the product should not crumble.

Store blue cheese in a cool place and always in insulated packaging to prevent mold from spreading to other products.

When choosing authentic blue cheese, keep in mind that all branded cheese wheels must be wrapped in wax paper and sealed in an airtight container.

If you want to buy already sliced ​​blue cheese, you need to choose a product that does not have a lot of white mold on the surface. If such mold is present, it means that the storage conditions of the product were violated.

The aroma of blue cheeses with mold can be completely diverse. However, there should definitely not be an ammonia smell present.

The shelf life of such products also varies. Soft varieties can be stored for no more than seven days after opening the package. Hard varieties of blue cheese are edible for about three weeks. After the expiration date, it is not recommended to eat the product. Some experts advise storing the product in a special cabinet where air will constantly circulate and sunlight will not penetrate. But if there is no such cabinet, mold cheese can be put in the refrigerator. The optimal temperature for storing blue cheese is not below zero and not above five degrees.

Beneficial features

The benefits of blue cheese are due to the presence of beneficial bacteria, as well as minerals and vitamins in it. With regular use of the product in small quantities, digestion and gastrointestinal activity improves.

This cheese contains a large amount of phosphorus and calcium - minerals that are involved in the regeneration and strengthening of bone tissue. Blue cheese also contains various vitamins and other minerals, the beneficial properties of which are necessary to maintain normal life functions.

In addition to the fact that blue cheese has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, the product is also useful to eat in stressful situations as a sedative.

This cheese is indispensable for sleep disorders, normalizing blood pressure and improving vision. Eating blue cheese also helps improve performance.

When using the product, swelling of blood vessels is relieved, resulting in improved functioning of the circulatory system.

Blue cheese also helps increase and strengthen muscle mass.

By consuming mold cheese, you can protect sensitive skin from exposure to sunlight, so as not to cause burns and the appearance of age spots due to the fact that mold contains special substances that ensure the production of melanin.

Use in cooking

In cooking, blue cheese with mold is most often served as an independent snack or on a cheese plate as a dessert. This product pairs perfectly with elite wines.

Blue cheese with mold reveals its taste even more when combined with grapes, pears and other fruits.

Various sauces, snacks and salads are prepared based on this product.

It is important that the product reveals the fullness of its promatic and taste qualities, so before use, first remove it from the refrigerator (a couple of hours before).

“What is the correct way to eat blue cheese?” - It would seem a strange question, since it is already clear how to eat the product. However, cheese experts advise you to first try blue cheese brie in order to fully taste its specific taste and get used to it. And only then begin to taste other varieties of the product with a less harsh aftertaste, gradually moving on to such well-known moldy cheeses as Roquefort and Camembert. The daily intake of the product does not exceed fifty grams.

You should also find out what you can eat blue cheese with. Since the product has a very pungent taste, it is best consumed with wine.

It should be remembered that the cheese must be brought to room temperature before serving. The product combines best with:

• fruits;
• crispbread;
• vegetables;
• cracker.

Sometimes blue mold cheese is added to pizza, hot dishes (soups), salads and sauces.

But blue cheese Roquefort is better to eat without anything.

Cooking at home

Making blue cheese at home is quite a labor-intensive job. All ingredients can be purchased at special cheese-making stores. Before you start making the product, you should remember that in order to get real blue cheese with mold, you need to follow the specified recipe exactly.

So, you need to pour eight liters of cow’s milk into a saucepan with a volume of about ten liters and heat it in a water bath to a temperature of sixty-two degrees. Afterwards, the milk needs to be cooled to thirty degrees, and then pour 1/4 teaspoon of mesophilic starter and 1/16 teaspoon of blue mold into the liquid, mixing thoroughly from top to bottom. Cover the pan with the contents and do not touch for about thirty minutes.

After half an hour, mix the milk mixture again and add calcium chloride diluted in fifty milliliters of water (you will need 1/4 teaspoon), and again set aside for about ninety minutes. During this period of time, a clot should form, which should be cut vertically and horizontally. The resulting clots must be transferred to a colander covered with a bag. After this, the bag needs to be tied and hung so that the excess liquid drains (this will take about forty minutes).

Then you need to lower the cheese into a deep container, chop it, add salt to taste, stir well and put the weight on top again. During the first 24 hours, the cheese should be turned every six hours. On the second day - every twelve hours. On the third day, the cheese must be transferred to parchment paper so that the product dries at room temperature for twenty-four hours.

After 24 hours, punctures should be made on the surface of the homemade cheese curd at a distance of two centimeters from each other. Place the product in a container and take it to a fairly cool room where the temperature will be within ten degrees Celsius. To fully ripen, the cheese should lie in a container for four weeks.

After twenty-eight days, homemade blue cheese will be ready, and it can be served with slices of white bread, or with cookies, or with red wine. This product can also be added to soup, salad, sauce or pasta.

Harmfulness of blue cheese and contraindications

Blue cheese with mold can cause harm to those who have an individual intolerance to the product, which means its introduction into the diet for allergy sufferers is contraindicated. Do not forget about the high calorie content of the product. Consuming it in large quantities will have a bad effect on your figure.

“How can you govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese?” Charles de Gaulle once said these words about France. But since then, the number of varieties of this product both in France itself and in the world in general has increased significantly. The number of blue cheeses has also increased.

Blue cheese is not for everyone. And it’s not just the high cost of this delicacy. Not everyone will like its sharp, piquant taste. You have to be a true connoisseur to taste the subtle notes in blue cheeses that gourmets admire so much. For many, blue cheese is associated exclusively with Roquefort and France. But in fact, Roquefort is just one representative of a large family of blue cheeses (albeit the most famous). In addition, not all delicacies from this group have French roots.

What is blue cheese

Blue cheese is a general name for sharply salted varieties of the product that contain a special type of Penicillium mold (a “relative” of the well-known antibiotic penicillin). Most often, the blue veins in such a product are Penicillium Roqueforti or Penicillium Glaucum. Interestingly, these mushrooms were not bred specifically for cheese, as is the case with, but were accidentally found in nature. Typically these fungi live in damp, cold caves. This is why the best blue cheeses are aged in natural “refrigerators”. Although today, in most cases of industrial production, bacteria are artificially introduced into the head of cheese.

These fungi form blue or blue-green veins of mold in the product, and bacteria such as Brevibacterium give it a specific odor. Depending on the type of product, fungal spores may be added at different stages of production (before or after curdling). But for mold to grow, it needs oxygen. Therefore, fungal spores are often injected into cheese with special needles along with oxygen, thus creating a characteristic pattern and texture of the product.

Nobody knows when the first blue cheese was made. But many have heard the beautiful legend about the shepherd and the beauty. One day, a young man herding sheep in the Roquefort mountains saw a beautiful girl from afar. The guy left his lunch in the cave, which consisted of sheep’s cheese, and rushed off in search of a beautiful stranger. But after many days of unsuccessful searches, the young shepherd returned to the cave, where a forgotten lunch awaited him. But instead of fresh cheese, he saw a slice covered with mold. However, the guy was so hungry that, despite the mold, he ate the cheese. To his surprise, the spoiled product turned out to be very good. They say this was the world's first Roquefort.

How blue cheese is made

Almost all varieties of blue cheese (except Roquefort) are made from cow's milk with the addition of blue mold. But this does not mean that all blue cheeses are the same. Today there are many varieties of this delicacy. They differ from each other:

• by consistency;
• according to the stamps of the fungi used;
• by holding time;
• according to the degree of salinity.

By the way, the taste of the product depends significantly on the type used. Cheeses made from cow, goat and sheep are noticeably different. Moreover, even products made exclusively from cow's milk, obtained from animals from different regions, will also have different tastes.

The intricate pattern of mold threads is often done intentionally. To do this, the cheese heads are pierced with special spiked needles, creating miniature tunnels in the product through which air circulates, which promotes mold growth. Such manipulations also help soften the texture of the product.

Roquefort cheese is made exclusively from the bacterium Penicillium Roqueforti, first found in the caves of the French city of Roquefort. In the old days, cheese makers left cheese in these caves and returned for it no earlier than a month later. Dried bread covered with mold was crushed and added to the cheese mass. But it must be said right away that Penicillium Roqueforti is not at all the mold that covers old bread at home.

The traditional process of creating blue cheeses consists of 6 stages. The first stage is the so-called acidification, during which the content in milk is converted into. The second stage involves adding rennet to the dairy product, which causes curdling. Then the cheese heads are formed and “preserved” in. After giving the product the required shape and removing excess liquid from it, the cheese is transferred to a damp, cool room, where it ages and acquires its characteristic taste and aroma.

Varieties of blue cheeses

The blue cheese family consists of many representatives. These are Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Danablu, Stilton, Fourme d'Ambert, Bavarian, Parsifal, Saint-Agur, Bergader, Böle, Bleu de Cos, Valmont, Cambozola, Quibillet, Montagnolo, Osterkron, Trautenfelzer and many others. And a true gourmet will never confuse them, since he knows to the smallest detail how they differ.

Roquefort

This product comes from France and is the most famous blue cheese today. It is made from sheep's milk. At the same time, not all sheep’s milk can become Roquefort, but only those grazing in certain regions of the country. In addition, real Roquefort is aged only in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, since only there the Penicillium roqueforti bacteria necessary for the creation of cheese live. This cheese matures from 3 to 10 months in caves, where stable temperatures and high humidity are maintained throughout the year. To speed up the growth of blue mold, rye bread is traditionally used (leaving slices of bread in the cave).

Danablu

Danablu is a Danish blue cheese. It was created by Danish cheese maker Marius Boel at the beginning of the twentieth century. This product was intended to be similar to Roquefort in terms of appearance, texture and taste. Only they make it not from sheep’s milk, but from cow’s milk. The Danish product is a semi-soft blue cheese with a pronounced aroma characteristic of Roquefort. Traditionally, the cheese is aged in a cave or dark and humid environment for 8-12 weeks.

Gorgonzola

It is a blue cheese of Italian origin, made from whole cow's or goat's milk (sometimes a mixture of the two). The texture of Gorgonzola ranges from soft to crumbly. It is said that this variety of cheese dates back to the Middle Ages, although some suggest that Gorgonzola from the 11th century was not yet decorated with blue “veins.” The name of the cheese comes from a small town near Milan. Today this product is made in Piedmont and Lombardy. It usually takes 3-4 months to mature (the longer Gorgonzola is aged, the harder the consistency of the cheese will be).

Maytag

This type of cheese is the American cousin of Roquefort. The product got its name from a dairy farm located in Iowa near Newton. The first maytag appeared in 1941. The grandchildren of the founder of the Maytag corporation dreamed of making a cheese that could compare with Roquefort. Today, this product is made using a similar technology as Roquefort from fresh milk from our own farm in Iowa.

Stilton

It is the British version of a gourmet blue cheese. But true stilton can only be made in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire. It is easily distinguished from other blue cheeses by its cylindrical shape, rather loose texture, dark rough rind and blue “veins” running from the center to the edges. Stilton ripening time is about 9 weeks.

Cabral

This variety of blue cheese is made only in northern Spain. And all because for real cabral they use only the milk of mountain cows from the province of Asturias.

Fourme d'Ambert

French cheese makers prepare this type of delicacy from cow's milk. The peculiarity of Fourme d'Ambert is that it is one of the most delicate varieties of blue cheese. The product matures for about 3 months. The finished delicacy has a piquant-spicy taste and aroma, covered with a dry thin reddish or gray crust on top.

Bleu d'Auvergne

It is another French analogue of Roquefort. This delicacy is prepared from cow's milk collected exclusively from the Santal mountains. This type of product was first prepared in the 19th century. Its “calling card” is a moist and slightly loose structure, a pronounced pungent aroma and a spicy, not very salty taste. Good cheese should not be crumbly, but rather slightly sticky.

Bleu de Bresse

One of the youngest representatives of the blue cheese family. The French were the first to start making it in the 50s of the twentieth century. The peculiarity of the delicacy is that pasteurized milk is used to make it. The product ripens much faster than its gourmet “brothers” (in just 14-28 days), but its taste is not as pronounced as that of other blue mold delicacies.

Other varieties:

• Trautenfelzer (Austrian cheese with a white rind and blue mold inside);
• Saint-Agur (very reminiscent of Roquefort);
• osterkron (Austrian variety);
• montagnolo (Italian version);
• kvibelle (Swedish blue cheese);
• Cambozola (a soft Italian product with blue and white mold);
• Valmont (French with a spicy salty taste);
• bleu de Cos (French, made from the milk of cows of different breeds);
• bèle (French salty, tangy blue cheese made from cow's milk).

How to choose correctly

Many people avoid blue cheese because of its strong smell. But it must be said that not all blue cheeses are the same and the smell of different varieties is also different. Some of them are surprisingly soft, with a delicate texture and a faint odor, others are harder and with a more pronounced specific aroma.

Experts advise starting with blue cheeses made from Gorgonzola or Danish cheese, since these varieties are known for the least pronounced aroma and mild taste. In Stilton, the gastronomic qualities of blue cheese are expressed a little more. But Roquefort certainly has the most vivid taste and smell.

Branded wheels of cheese are usually wrapped in wax paper, topped with a sealed package. When buying sliced ​​blue cheese, you should avoid products that have a lot of white mold clearly visible on the rind. This indicates that this one was not stored under the correct conditions. A good delicacy has its own characteristic smell, but it never smells like ammonia. Creamy and crumbly cheeses can have an herbal flavor, and specialty blue cheeses can sometimes taste nutty or smoky.

How to store it correctly

The shelf life of blue cheeses directly depends on their consistency. The soft product should be eaten within a week after opening. The harder the cheese, the longer it can be stored, but no longer than 2-3 weeks. And of course, any of them must be consumed before the expiration date indicated on the package.

How to Serve and Use

Gourmets value blue cheeses for their pronounced taste, and in order to further emphasize the advantages of this delicacy, it is important to combine it correctly with other products. If we talk about (and it is in this pairing that gourmet cheeses are most often served), then a rich wine goes well with gourmet blue cheeses. The combination of blue cheeses with fruits is considered exquisite. Fruity sweetness fills the flavor bouquet with finishing notes. This combination is already a classic.

But in different regions, it is customary to combine blue cheeses with another category of food. The British, for example, love to serve noble blue cheese with port wine. In this same country they love to cook soups with the addition of blue cheese. In Denmark, danablu is eaten with biscuits or bread, and in Italy they love to add gorgonzola to risotto, pizza, and sauces. In addition, in European cuisine, blue cheese is an effective addition to salads, and various sauces are prepared from it.

Before serving the cheese plate, the delicacy with mold should be kept at room temperature for a while.

How to make blue cheese at home

Many people mistakenly think that only a select few can afford to start their morning with a slice of delicious blue cheese. Of course, real Roquefort is not a cheap pleasure. But if you make blue cheese with your own hands at home, the delicacy will cost many times less. And I must say, there is nothing prohibitively difficult in this process. And all you need for this homemade delicacy is a teaspoon of any blue cheese.

First, you need to prepare cottage cheese from 2 liters of fresh cow's milk (to make your life easier, you can buy ready-made), crumble it and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. In a blender, prepare “seed material” from a teaspoon of any blue cheese and about 60 ml of cool, clean cheese, which is then poured into the cottage cheese. Mix the cheese mass thoroughly and transfer it to sterile gauze, folded several times. Press the cheese lump with a press (but not very heavy) overnight. In the morning, make holes with a diameter of about 5 mm in the formed cheese head every 2-3 cm (use a pre-sterilized rod). Rub the top of the head again with salt, wrap it in clean, dry gauze and place in the refrigerator or basement (maintain about 70% humidity and 10 degrees Celsius). In a month or a month and a half, the home-made delicacy will be ready to eat.

Beneficial features

Blue cheese not only looks amazing, but it also has amazing health benefits. Like any other dairy product, it contains many minerals and vitamins, but the delicacy received its unique properties thanks to special mold fungi. Blue cheese is an excellent source that all people need, regardless of age or health status. But besides this substance, the delicacy contains many other useful components. Moreover, a product made from goat’s milk is a richer source of vitamins and minerals. In addition, this version of cheese is suitable for people with lactose intolerance, since goat milk almost never causes allergies.

Top list of beneficial properties of blue cheeses

Prevents cardiovascular diseases

People who regularly consume blue cheeses are less at risk of heart disease than others. This is evidenced by the results of many scientific observations. This delicacy reduces the amount of bad things in the body, thereby preventing the risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Fight arthritis

Blue cheeses have pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. This ability makes blue cheese useful for treating arthritis and preventing inflammatory joint diseases.

Strengthens bone tissue

Experts have long known that older women are more at risk of developing osteoporosis than their male counterparts. But eating cheeses, including blue cheeses, allows you to restore the necessary calcium reserves in the body and strengthen bone tissue. Blue cheeses contain a lot of vitamins, which the human body extremely needs. This element contributes to the proper functioning of many processes at the cellular level. In addition, a lack of calcium and phosphorus in childhood leads to rickets, and in adults – to bone diseases. A serving of blue cheese is useful for replenishing these substances.

Improve cognitive functions

Roquefort and its analogues are useful for maintaining brain function. Scientific research results indicate that these delicacies can improve memory and strengthen the cells of the central nervous system. For this reason, blue cheeses are considered beneficial for growing organisms and for people engaged in mental work.

Rich Source of Protein

Dairy products are an excellent source, which is necessary for the formation of cells in the human body. Regular consumption of protein foods is essential for children, as well as for people involved in intense sports.

Strengthen the immune system

Blue cheese is a food rich in vitamins and minerals that help strengthen the immune system. Therefore, experts advise be sure to include this delicacy in the spring diet, as well as during seasonal epidemics. But the beneficial properties for the immune system do not end there. It turned out that blue cheeses can increase the effectiveness of vaccines against polio, influenza, and even increase the body's resistance to cholera viruses. The fact is that the chemicals contained in the product activate the production of antibodies that protect the body from foreign agents.

Prevent cellulite

Although blue cheese is not a product with the lowest calorie content, it is safe for your figure. In addition, consuming this delicacy, on the contrary, can prevent the formation of cellulite. Researchers have found that blue cheese has anti-orange peel properties.

Have anti-inflammatory properties

Possible hazardous properties

Some may consider blue cheeses to be an ideal product created by man, while others cannot stand the specific smell and taste of Roquefort. But there are people who are forbidden by doctors to consume blue cheese. This primarily applies to persons allergic to penicillin. Another group are people with individual intolerance to the product.

And even though, according to legend, the first Roquefort was just a lunch forgotten by a shepherd, today blue cheese is not a spoiled product at all, but a tasty and healthy delicacy. However, it is so special that many will need time to get used to it. But when you get to try all the benefits of blue cheese, it will be a love for life.