There have been several accidental inventions including the imagesetter or the screen platesetters, but the most popular invention was that of blue cheese. This is basically a type of cheese that is distinctively characterized by spots or veins of blue-green or grey-green mold. However, it is not just their appearance that makes them unique, but they even carry a very distinct smell. It would not be wrong to say that the reason for a huge demand for blue cheese is the smell and the strong tangy or nutty flavor.
You may be wondering, what is the reason for the unique appearance, flavor and smell of blue cheese. The only difference between blue cheese and other cheese is that the former has been inoculated with a mold culture named penicillium. The growth of mold provides interesting dark streaks, patches or veins running throughout the cheese.
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The two most popular varieties of blue cheese include Roquefort and Gorgonzola. It is hard to spell but easy to love them. Their taste is irresistible, and if you try them once you will definitely ask for them again. In case of the Roquefort cheese, the spores of the mold are injected after the cheese cake is ready. The cheese cake with spores is given certain conditions so that it can develop the veins. In the gorgonzola variety, the mold spores are mixed with the curd before the cheese is set. This is done to ensure a proper mixing and even distribution of mold.
In different areas, blue cheese is still developed in caves where it was accidentally invented for the first time. In earlier times the aging of cheese was done by storing them in caves. It so happened that in the event of aging, the cheese cakes developed blue veins. Incidentally, it was tasted and the unique flavor intrigued everyone.
Blue cheese is not the invention of today. Roquefort was discovered in 1070 AD., whereas gorgonzola is the oldest known cheese which is said to have been created around 879 AD. According to the demand of the people, the duration of aging of blue cheese is varied. The more a cheese is aged, the sharper a taste it tends to develop.
Usually, blue cheese is manufactured by heating milk with an enzyme complex known as rennet. This causes curdling of the milk which is then pressed to drain out the whey. Mold spores are sometimes added at this step. The pressing and settling of cheese takes several days before the holes are finally made to aerate it. The ripening of the cheese is frequently done in cool caves and this is what takes most of the time. The ripening step can last for six months and in most cases to over a year.
In order to prevent the blue cheese from spoilage, it must be stored in a proper wrapping in slightly cold temperature. Some people find the presence of mold unpleasant and they perceive it to be something dangerous. But technically speaking, almost every type of cheese is made from molds and bacterium. Every consumer should know that there is nothing wrong with blue cheese but if you see any pink, brown, yellow or red spots then it surely indicates that the cheese has gone stale.
Blue Cheese - Unique in Appearance & Distinct in Taste IMAGE SETTER
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