Blue Mould Cheese

Blue mould cheese

The history of blue cheese goes back to the 7th century, to a cave outside the village in France. Legend has it that a distracted shepherd forgot his lunch of bread and cheese in the cave. When he returned a few months later, the cheese had become infested with penicillium roqueforti, a mould that was growing in the cave. Today this natural mould is refined and used for almost all blue cheeses simply by adding the mould culture to the cheese milk. For the cheese to turn blue, oxygen must reach the inside of the cheese. This is often done by piercing the cheese with  thin needles or skewers. The blue mould then matures inside the air tunnels, developing flavour as it ages. Most mould-containing cheeses take 3 to 6 months to mature. In blue cheese, this happens from the inside out.

Creamy, flavourful, matured

Intense strokes of piquancy from the characteristic blue veins stretch along a creamy, often crumbly texture. Slight hints of rural mushrooms give way to a mild profile consisting of creamy tones of browned butter, slowly resolving in a calm finish. Ranging from mild to sharp, blue mould cheese is made using milk from cows, goats and sheep, producing a wide variety of taste and texture combinations. Resembling fine porcelain, a clear white backdrop marbled with intersected blue veins make up the iconic appearance of these beautiful cheeses.

While some form natural rinds during maturation, most blue mould cheeses have no rind. Instead, the flavours that normally accumulate around the exterior can be found across the entire body.