Cheese nerds, come hither. Have you ever really thought about why blue cheese is the color that gives it its name? And what's the key element necessary to activate that blueness?
The Cheesemonger: Why is Blue Cheese Blue?
Blue cheeses are unique for many reasons, but most significantly, they stand out from the other families of cheese because of the way they ripen. While most other cheeses are bacteria-ripened, like washed-rind cheeses, blue cheeses ripen from mold activity. And, simply put, this mold, whose spores are introduced into milk at the beginning stages of cheesemaking, is blue.
But it's not that simple. Blue mold won't grow just because you add it to milk. When a wheel of blue cheese is formed, it's actually white in color, inside and out, like the wheels of Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm, above.
It's only when a cheesemaker pricks those wheels all over with long steel needles that the blue mold will start to proliferate. Those needle pricks introduce oxygen to the inside of the wheels. Without the oxygen, blue mold can't grow. It's the key to blue mold survival. Once oxygen is introduced, blue mold begins to travel outwards, closer to the rind, ripening the cheese as it migrates outwards.
Blue cheese is the only style of cheese that ripens from the inside-out as opposed to the outside-in. (Reason #2 that makes blues unique.)
Often, you can actually see the distinct paths of blue, like long striated lines, like at the top of the the slice in the picture at left. Or you'll see small circular holes where the needle went into the wheel and where blue mold began its growth, like in the picture of Roquefort at the top of the post.
And sometimes, if it's been freshly cut off a wheel, a new slice of blue cheese will become bluer and bluer before your very eyes, a trick that's sure to impress if you can time it right.
Related: The Cheese Monger: Bleu de Gex
(Images: Flickr users Brother O'Mara and dewet licensed under Creative Commons and Nora Singley for the Kitchn.)
Comments (7)
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Fascinating! Skewers and blue cheese - who knew?
view faith's profile
My mom has celiac disease and told me she can't eat blue cheese because the mold is started from bread. Is that true? (aside from the question of how much bread gluten could possibly be present in the finished cheese...)
view maqloubeh's profile
maqloubeh, it's true that celiacs are cautioned against eating blue cheese. same goes for soy sauce - the trace amount of wheat gluten present is enough to cause symptoms.
now, my turn for a question - does anybody know if people who are allergic to penicillin can eat blue cheese? i've always heard it was the penicillium bacteria that makes it blue. being allergic to PCN, i've never tried it, and i feel like i'm missing out! there's a lot of anecdotal evidence on the web that tells me that it's safe.
view chez shoes's profile
I get a minor allergic reaction to penicillin (hives, rash) and have never had any problems eating blue cheese.
view faith's profile
Faith is correct. Penicillin is entirely different from blue mold strains like Penicillium Roqueforti, best known for its use in Roquefort-- and yes, originally derived from bread-- and Penicillium Glaucum, best known for its use in Fourme D'Ambert and Gorgonzola. The confusion probably exists because the names are so similar....
view nora s's profile
Most blue cheeses I've bought tend to actually be green, which I've always thought of as a little odd. And by green, I mean actually GREEN, with not even a hint of blue. More of a yellowy-green, actually. Anyone know why that is?
view sine nomine's profile
I have coeliac and I've never had any problems with eating blue cheese but I guess it depends how much cheese you eat and how sensitive you are to the gluten - I doubt that much actual gluten would survive as the mould is an organism on its own
view Violetsrose's profile