Blue-veined cheeses were apparently discovered by accident, when a small
French cheese maker found blue mold growing on several of his
cheeses. He tasted them, enjoyed the sharp flavor, and decided to
produce them purposefully. The popularity of this new type of
cheese exploded, as people discovered its pungent, salty taste. New
varieties were developed, and today blue cheeses encompass a range of
textures and flavors. The creamiest ones tend to be fairly mild;
soft, crumbly varieties usually have the strongest flavors; and firm blue
cheeses are generally fairly mellow and earthy.
To make blue-veined cheeses, penicillin mold, usually Penicillium
roqueforti or a similar strain, is added to milk along with rennet and
lactic ferments. The resulting curds are cut, salted, placed in
molds, and moved to cellars to ripen. Long steel needles are used
to pierce the cheeses, allowing air circulation in their centers; this
promotes the growth of the mold into the characteristic blue-green veins.
Blue cheeses are usually made from cow's milk. The one exception is
Roquefort, often considered the "king of cheeses," which is made from
ewe's milk. Some other well-known blue cheeses include Stilton,
produced in the English counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and
Nottinghamshire; French Bleu d'Auvergne; and crumbly Italian Gorgonzola.
Piquant blue cheese is often enjoyed in salad dressings and dips, as well
as finding a more sophisticated place on dessert platters aside fruit, an
ideal complement to its pronounced flavor. It is also used in pasta
and vegetable dishes. Blue cheese spoils easily; when serving it,
set out only as much as will be consumed. These fragile
cheeses should be stored wrapped in foil in the bottom of the
refrigerator to protect their distinctive flavor and delicate texture.
Blue-veined Cheese Suppliers
Maytag Dairy Farms
has produced handcrafted, cave-aged cheeses since 1941. Often
considered to be America's best blue cheese.
House of Castello.
For over three generations, House of Castello (originally called Rosenborg)
has offered fine blue cheeses, with flavors ranging from mild and creamy
to distinctively tangy and sharp.
Rogue Creamery is an
artisan cheese company producing world champion blue cheeses in the
Rogue River Valley of southern Oregon.
Roquefort Soceite.
Since 1863, this French company has crafted quality roquefort cheese.
(In French).