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 varied. 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.

What is blue cheese? The name of this type of product speaks for itself. This is a special type of cheese, to which types of bacteria that are safe for the human body are added during production. This is where mold appears. These are mainly bacteria of the Penicillium species. They have a characteristic specific taste and smell. Most French cheeses are produced using this bacterium. For example, camembert or brie. The color of mold can be white, blue, light blue, green, and so on. It can slightly envelop the cheese head on top or be inside in the form of peculiar veins.

Soft is made from cow's milk. Depending on the region and pastures, the taste of the milk and, therefore, the finished product depends. The exception is blue cheese, whose name is Roquefort. For its production it is used

Conventionally, cheeses can be divided into soft and blue. Most of them include elite varieties. On average, the ripening period is from two to six weeks. Flavors and aroma can be very diverse. It all depends on the cooking method. From the point of view of production technology, soft cheeses are divided into several types. Some are ready to eat immediately after production is completed, while others require a short period of aging. Therefore, blue cheese, the name of the subgroup of which corresponds to the description of its appearance, can be divided into:

1. White cheeses. A thin white crust with a slight coating of mold forms on their surface. Its cultivation is carried out by spraying bacteria with penicillin. As a result, the cheese is obtained with a peculiar piquant taste and smell: a little ammonia, hot pepper or mushroom. The most popular blue cheese, called Camembert, has a characteristic smell of damp soil, mushrooms and moss.

2. Blue cheeses. Maturation occurs from within. Therefore, a coating of blue mold forms on the surface. Blue cheese (the name of the most common type is Roquefort) is aged in a deep cellar. The richness of taste depends on the ripening period. The white or pale yellow mass, permeated with veins of green-blue mold, reminiscent of marble, has a sharp spicy taste and mushroom aroma. The manufacturing technology is quite simple, but very labor-intensive. Milk curdling occurs at a temperature of 30 degrees, the cheese mass is suspended in a gauze bag so that the whey drains naturally. After two weeks, the cheese is pierced with needles containing mold and salted. It turns out that the veins are evenly distributed throughout the entire mass.

Also, cheeses are additionally divided into two subgroups: with natural and washed edges. In the latter, mold grows along the edge and develops from red bacteria. The rind of this type of cheese is brownish. These cheeses are mainly produced in Burgundy. The raw material for varieties with natural edges is goat or sheep milk. These are very high-calorie cheeses, so consumption in your diet should be limited to 50 grams per day.

Once, in the mid-2000s, I decided to pamper my grandfather (a village resident) with a sensational delicacy - blue cheese. And since at that time I didn’t really understand cheese myself, I had to work harder and find out what blue cheese is called and what it actually is.

Blue cheese: names, types and varieties

At that time, not far from my house, an imported delicatessen store opened, positioning itself as a grocery boutique. “There’s definitely blue cheese there!” I thought and went in search. It turned out that a whole stand was filled with this cheese, and the entire lower display case shone with a lot of names and forms. A consultant immediately came up to me and explained that there are different types of mold in cheeses, accordingly, the varieties differ. There are three main types:

• white mold;
• Red mold;
• green and blue mold.

I remember that at that moment I was confused, because I didn’t know at all what to choose. But the guy immediately realized what was what and began to tell.

Brie cheeses And Camembert belong to the variety white mold, are covered with a coating on top and have a special smell. Syrov with red mold was not in the store, but the seller said that they include cheeses such as Munsten And Livaro. As for the last category, these are the most popular cheeses in which the mold is located inside the cheese itself. Among them Roquefort, Dor Blue, Danablu, Blay du Haut Jura. I decided to go with Roquefort, since at that time it was cheaper than the others and, according to the consultant, everyone liked it.

Tastes and differences

Grandfather, as an ardent communist, of course, didn't appreciate the cheese, saying that these are “bourgeois tricks” and there is nothing special about it. But since then I have fallen in love with blue cheeses and have tried almost all of them. My husband brought me a piece of cheese from each country, which I happily devoured with good wine.

So, what can I say about the taste:

Cheeses with blue and green mold, in my opinion, have the most pleasant taste, which will really appeal to everyone. It vaguely resembles taste of mushrooms. Blue and green mold practically do not differ in taste from each other; only the hardness, softness and richness of the taste of this product differ from different manufacturers.

Cheese with white mold has a weird and strong smell of hydrogen peroxide, but don’t be afraid of this. This is fine. My husband brought me this type of cheese (Camembert) from Germany. He's inside soft, the consistency resembles melted and moderately salty.

Red mold cheese I only tried it once (Brie noir). He had enough spicy, islandy and salty taste.

Beware, fake

Do not buy already sliced ​​blue cheeses On the market. They are cheaper, but this is not the cheese you need. One day I was tempted and bought market blue cheese. The taste upset me from the first bite, it was completely different from what I was used to. Moreover, the product itself did not slide smoothly under the pressure of a sharp knife, but turned into dry crumbs.

Blue cheeses are special varieties of cheeses that have added food mold that is safe for the human body. Most often it is Penicillium mold. It has a peculiar taste and smell. It is curious that mold can be white, greenish, blue or blue, but this in no way characterizes the freshness of the product.

Blue cheese: what are the benefits?

Classification of blue cheeses

Almost all of them are elite and absolutely all are expensive. Blue cheeses ripen from two to six weeks. Many of them are made from cow's milk. But the legendary Roquefort, no less tasty Ardi-gasna and some other types are made from goat milk. The cheeses in question can be divided into two large groups: white and blue cheeses.

When ripening, a thin light crust with a small amount of mold forms on the surface of white cheeses. This mold is specially “grown” by spraying with Penicillium. Because of this bacterium, cheeses have a piquant taste and excellent aroma that excites the taste buds. The most common white cheese is Camembert. It smells of mushrooms, damp earth and moss.

In blue cheeses, mold forms inside. The heads of such cheeses are kept for several weeks in deep, cold cellars, where a certain level of humidity is maintained. The taste of cheeses depends on the preparation technology and ripening time. Blue cheeses have a salty-spicy or pungent taste, smell of mushrooms, nuts, and have hundreds of aromas. The technology for kneading dough for this type of blue cheese has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. The milk is heated to 30 degrees, and when it curdles, it is wrapped in gauze and hung. The serum begins to drip. After two weeks, salt is added to the cheese and mold fungi are introduced using long needles.

The benefits of blue cheeses

Cheeses made from goat's milk are considered healthier. They contain fewer calories and are easier to digest. Goat's milk itself contains more vitamins A and B, iron, phosphorus and calcium than cow's milk.

All noble blue cheeses have a very high protein content. Of the total amount, at least a quarter will be perfectly absorbed by the body. In addition, such cheeses provide a person with nine important amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own. Examples of such amino acids are valine and histidine. They accelerate cell regeneration processes, which means wounds heal faster. Blue cheeses are recommended for those recovering from surgery. Regular consumption of such cheeses will help strengthen tooth enamel, slow down the development of osteoporosis, and normalize the functioning of the heart muscle and nervous system.

Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Brie and other blue cheeses contain so much protein that they are far ahead of such recognized champions as eggs and fish.

Blue and white cheeses contain pantothenic acid. When it enters the human body, it begins to interact with enzymes. Scientists have proven that this chemical connection stimulates the production of hormones by the adrenal glands, and also gives vigor and the ability to withstand the negative effects of stressful situations.

The benefit of blue cheeses is their high content of vitamin A, which strengthens the immune system, has a beneficial effect on the skin, and helps remove toxins.

The dangers of blue cheeses

Blue cheeses are not recommended for people struggling with excess weight for the following reasons: - high sodium content, which delays the removal of fluid from the body; - high fat content (up to 48 percent); - increased protein content, which will make it difficult to calculate the maximum allowable amount in the diet.

If a person has eaten too much noble mold cheese, then he will experience increased excitability and impressionability. People who abuse this delicacy are hyperactive and have trouble falling asleep.

It is undesirable to consume blue cheese for people who have been identified as individual intolerant to penicillin, as well as for those who have fungal diseases.

Blue cheeses are contraindicated for children and pregnant women. Listeriosis may develop, a food-borne infection characterized by cramping abdominal pain, fever, muscle pain, and indigestion. Listeriosis can lead to premature birth, miscarriage, and stillbirth.

The harm of blue cheese is also manifested in the fact that penicillin fungi secrete antibiotics. And antibiotics themselves, as is known, do not allow bacteria to multiply in the body. Unfortunately, the vital activity of not only harmful but also beneficial bacteria is suppressed.

The appearance of dysbiosis and intestinal infection after eating blue cheese is possible. But often the reason is not the cheese itself, but its expiration date. Due to their high cost, mold cheeses are not everyday products, and therefore can sit in the supermarket for weeks. If we also subtract transportation from the French provinces from the total shelf life (after all, only there they make real original blue cheeses), then there is little time left for sales. The integrity of the packaging and the temperature conditions at which the product was stored also have an impact. It is advisable to buy blue cheese in small quantities, so that it is enough to enjoy once. Be sure to check expiration dates.

You should not trust cheeses cut or packaged in the supermarket. Most likely, you will buy a very expensive but low-quality counterfeit product

Blue cheeses can be harmful to people with lactose intolerance.

Cheeses with noble mold, delicate, spicy, with a fancy network of blue “veins” and an aroma that delights true gourmets - a real delicacy!

And we often treat them with such reverence that we rarely use them in cooking. But in vain! They are very good in soups, sauces and salads. And they don’t require large quantities!

Blue cheeses are made from cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk. A. And they all have one thing in common - noble mold, which gives the product a specific appearance, taste and aroma. A specific strain of fungus is introduced either directly into the milk or into the cheese mass.

Gradually growing inside, the mold forms bizarre veins and spots, the color of which can vary from blue to bluish-gray or bluish-green.

It secretes enzymes that break down organic molecules into simpler ones, making the texture of the product soft and providing it with a salty, spicy taste, as well as a pungent, not pleasant aroma, which, however, can never be confused with the smell of something spoiled.

High-quality blue cheese has a bright mold color, and an aroma without the slightest hint of sour, musty notes.

Blue cheeses from around the world

Blue cheese - Roquefort

This is the most famous French blue cheese. Try adding Roquefort to simple, everyday dishes; it will make the taste of familiar green salads, pizza, and pasta reveal itself in a new way. Place the pieces on skewers, interspersing them with pieces of apples, apricots and mangoes. Mix the crumbled cheese with a little butter and make a sauce for the vegetable sticks. Roquefort is also very good in a duet with dry red wine.

Blue cheese - Stilton

Stilton is a famous English delicacy. The head of this cheese should be cylindrical in shape, and the blue veins should radiate from the center.

Be sure to try Stilton cheese combined with vegetables. It goes well with celery and adds a brighter, sharper taste to green salads and broccoli puree soup. In England, this cheese is traditionally served with vintage port wine and eaten during Christmas week, used in various national dishes.

Blue cheese - danablue

Danablu was created as an alternative to Roquefort cheese. Try adding danabla to a salad, serving it with fruit (strawberries, peaches) or, as they do in Denmark, with bread or cookies. It's delicious crumbled over greens and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You can substitute it for Roquefort in most recipes.

Blue cheese - Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola is one of the first blue cheeses, which began to be produced back in 879 in the suburbs of Milan.
Be sure to try using gorgonzola to make Italian dishes more piquant and rich in taste. Use this cheese in risotto (adding it at the end of cooking) and serve with polenta. Cook pasta with it (gorgonzola usually goes well with short pasta - rigatoni, penne) or crumble it on top of pizza: among others, it is included in the “Four Cheeses”.

Blue cheese - dor blue

Dorblue is an aristocrat from Germany. Try serving dorblu as a snack: cut into slices or cubes and place on crackers. It is good in salads and as part of a cheese plate, combined with nuts and sweet Riesling - this is how they like to eat it in Germany.

What to cook with blue cheese - for gourmets

• Simply cut it into large slices and serve with dessert wine. Honey, jam, and nut butter go well with it.
• Crumble the cheese and throw it into the salad: a good combination with fresh herbs and sweet fruits.
• Blue cheese makes excellent creamy sauces.
• Stuff fruits (such as pears) or vegetables with it.
• This is an excellent filling for lasagna (including eggplant).
• Blue cheese goes well with fried or grilled meats: crumble and sprinkle it over beef or lamb, or dissolve in the cooking juices of the meat, add herbs and enjoy a delicious sauce.
• Cheese is combined with vegetables, including raw ones. Blue cheese sauce goes great with carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• Prepare a savory appetizer for your martini: stuff green olives or black olives with the cheese mixture.
• Buffalo chicken wings are served with melted blue cheese gravy.