that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted

or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mould, and carries a distinct

smell, either from that or various specially cultivated bacteria. Some blue cheeses are

injected with spores before the curds form and others have spores mixed in with the curds

after they form. Blue cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment

such as a cave. Blue cheese can be eaten by itself or can be crumbled or melted into or

over foods. In the European Union, many blue cheeses such

as Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Blue Stilton carry a protected designation of origin, meaning

they can bear the name only if they have been made in a particular region in a certain country.

Similarly, individual countries have protections of their own such as France's Appellation

d'Origine Contrôlée and Italy's Denominazione di Origine Protetta. Blue cheeses with no

protected origin name are designated simply "blue cheese".

The characteristic flavor of blue cheeses tends to be sharp and salty. The smell of

this food is due both to the mould and to types of bacteria encouraged to grow on the

cheese: for example, the bacterium Brevibacterium linens is responsible for the smell of many

blue cheeses, as well as foot odor and other human body odors.

History Blue cheese is believed to have been discovered

by accident, when cheeses were stored in naturally temperature and moisture controlled caves,

which happened to be favourable environments for many varieties of harmless mould. Roquefort

is mentioned in texts as far back as 79 AD. Gorgonzola is one of the oldest known blue

cheeses, having been created around 879 AD, though it is said that it did not actually

contain blue veins until around the 11th century. Stilton is a relatively new addition becoming

popular sometime in the early 18th century. Many varieties of blue cheese that originated

subsequently, such as the 20th century Danablu and Cambozola, were an attempt to fill the

demand for Roquefort-style cheeses that were prohibitive due to either cost or politics.

Nutritional information 100 g of generic blue cheese contains the

following nutritional values according to the USDA:

Calories: 353 Fat: 28.74 grams

Carbohydrates: 2.34 grams Fibers: 0 grams

Protein: 21.40 grams See also

Bleu d'Auvergne Cabrales cheese

Dorset Blue Vinney cheese Fourme d'Ambert

Maytag Stichelton

References

External links How to make blue cheese at home

What makes blue cheese blue? from The Straight Dope