Blue cheeses. Gourmet products for our health: what you need to know about the benefits and harms of blue cheese

Not every Russian can even pronounce the names of other cheeses: Camembert, Gorgonzola... But if he tries it, he will never forget it. But there are others: Brie, Roquefort, Dorblue, Danablu, Stilton, Fourme d'Ambert, each with its own history.

The refined and noble taste of these cheeses is not given by the skill of the cheesemaker or the quality of the milk (although we should not forget about them either). The main reason is mold fungi!

Yeast-like fungi

Moreover, there are different types of mold. Roquefort, Gorgonzola and other cheeses of this type are infested with Penicillium, a blue mold (hence their name “blue cheeses”). And brie and others like it are infected, in the good sense of the word, with the yeast-like fungi Geotrichum candidum. But still, this is not just mold, but noble mold - one might say, Mold with a capital M. It, noble mold, protects the cheese from unwanted infection, since it, as it were, occupies the place where harmful microorganisms would like to settle.

Emperor Charlemagne, who discovered brie cheese in 774, called it “one of the most exquisite dishes.” Brie (which, by the way, is one of the oldest cheeses in the world) was considered the best gift among counts and kings. Thus, Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne, had the custom of sending brie as a gift to King Philip Augustus. They call it “cheese of kings”.

Roquefort cheese, according to legend, was “invented” by a young shepherd. He was tending a flock of sheep near the village of Roquefort and in a moment of rest (they say in a cave) he was going to dine on a piece of black bread with sheep’s cheese. And a beautiful young maiden was walking past that cave about some business. The young shepherd left his breakfast and (who would doubt it!) ran after her. How long he was absent and why, history is silent, but when he returned to that cave, he discovered that the cheese was covered with blue mold. However, his hunger did not disappear anywhere, and even during his absence intensified, and he ate this cheese. And I was amazed at the wonderful taste! This is how world cuisine became enriched with Roquefort cheese.

Among the youngest cheeses, one can remember Dorblu; it was invented at the beginning of the 20th century in Germany. The recipe is kept secret. Danish blue cheese Danablu has a history of about 80 years; it was created as an analogue of Roquefort.

Hidden Recipe

Everyone knows that penicillin living in Roquefort is useful. Even before the discovery of this fact, doctors gave blue cheese to patients, hardly understanding why the patients recovered. But it's not just blue cheeses that are healthy. Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, a French doctor treated seriously ill patients with Normandy cheese covered with white mold. In honor of this doctor, grateful patients erected a monument near the village of Camembert.

The history of the appearance of this cheese in the world is no less romantic than the story of the shepherd and Roquefort cheese. Monks knew the recipe for making Camembert from time immemorial, but hid it from hungry peoples, and then one of them allegedly revealed it to his girlfriend Marie Harel because she saved him from death during the French Revolution. Whether it was true or not, in 1928, in the square of the city of Vimoutier, grateful Camembert lovers solemnly unveiled a monument to Marie Harel and their favorite cheese.

And by the way, moldy cheese can enhance a person’s creative inclinations. One day, Salvador Dali, having eaten Camembert for dinner, looked at his unfinished painting and saw a “flowing clock.” This is how “The Persistence of Memory” was written. This fact is stated in the master’s memoirs.

Noble mold adds pungency to the cheese, and the longer the cheese is stored, the spicier it will be. Some cheeses have a slight hazelnut flavor, like Roquefort.
Camembert has a mushroom taste, and brie has a slight ammonia smell. It's all about the enzymes: as mold grows on the surface or inside the cheese, it releases enzymes that, when combined with the cheese, form a fusion of flavors. The yeast-like fungus Geotrichum has no taste on its own, but what a delicious taste it produces when combined with regular cow's cheese! Have you ever tried penicillin? If so, then you probably didn’t like it, but you’ll eat Roquefort for your dear soul.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to find real blue cheese these days. If, for example, Roquefort is produced according to the classic recipe (stored in a limestone cave for three months so that the necessary mold appears on it by itself), then this cheese will be in constant shortage. Therefore, such cheeses are made industrially, infecting the cheese with a pure culture of the desired fungus, and Roquefort can be bought in any store.

English note

Of the English mold cheeses, the best known is Stilton, which, unlike other cheeses of this kind, comes in both blue and white. He gained fame through the efforts of innkeeper Cooper Thornhill. This Thornhill was passing through Leicestershire in 1730, and there on a small farm he was treated to blue cheese (which was not yet called Stilton). Delighted with the taste of the product, Thornhill immediately bought the exclusive right to sell the cheese, and he sold it in his Bell tavern in the village of Stilton. Hence the name. And the stagecoach route between London and Edinburgh passed by this inn. Of course, passengers snapped up the cheese as they flew in. Soon all of England knew about the blue Steelton. What about England - all of Europe!

Cheese began to be falsified everywhere, the technology was broken, and measures were required to protect the name. Protected: now the name “Stilton” is protected by law, that is, it is prohibited to use this word for any cheese produced outside the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. The irony is that the village of Stilton, which gives the cheese its name, is located in Cambridgeshire, and Stilton cheese cannot be produced there.

Italy produces Gorgonzola blue cheese, named after a small village near Milan. Local residents claim that the recipe has been known to them for more than a thousand years. As if they had previously produced stracchino cheese (translated from Italian as “tired”) from the milk of cows tired from the long journey from the mountains. And then a certain cheesemaker, whose name has not gone down in history, once violated the technology, and his cheese ripened with mold in it. Residents were delighted and began to completely violate the technology, and at the same time the copyright of the unknown cheese maker.

So don't be afraid of moldy cheeses! History shows that no one has ever died from them, but they were used as medicine...

Cook in Russian

In Great Russia, not only blue cheese, but even ordinary hard cheeses were not made. Here the soil is poor, the winters are long, the period of livestock stabling is longer than in Europe, there is less feed, and there is no milk yield. Russian peasants often kept little cows not for milk, but for manure, as fertilizer.

They drank milk, of course, and stewed it, and made cottage cheese out of it. And Russian cheeses were ripened from cottage cheese using the “raw” method, without heating. They were pressed and seasoned, holding their shape tightly. Until now, what we bake from cottage cheese is called syrniki; Cottage cheese called “homemade cheese” is still sold in stores.

Peter I “infected” Russia with European cheeses. After him, the people ate their usual Russian cheese, and the nobles ate hard imported cheese or one made here by the Dutch. It was then that he came up with the paradoxical word “cheese factory”: cheese comes from the word “raw”, and if it was cooked, then what kind of “raw” is it?

The first domestic cheese factory, which filled the whole country with its cheap cheese, appeared in our country at the end of the 19th century. Nikolai Vereshchagin, who managed it (by the way, the brother of the famous battle painter), formulated the task as follows: “Teach the Russian peasantry to cook cheese and churn butter in the European manner.” Well, they learned to imitate Europe, but traditional Russian cheese disappeared.

This type of cheese appeared on the shelves of our stores relatively recently. However, blue cheese has already gained passionate fans and ardent critics. In this article we will talk about the benefits and possible negative effects of this product.

But before you join the gourmets and purchase a piece of the delicacy for tasting, you need to take a responsible approach to the issue and figure out what types of blue cheeses there are, what type to start getting acquainted with them with, what to use them with, and even. Otherwise, the product may not only cause antipathy, but also provoke health problems.

Let's try to answer these questions, and also understand the benefits and harms of this overseas delicacy.

Plate of blue cheeses

It’s possible that on even the largest plate there are all varieties of this cheese and won’t fit, so let’s go through the most famous varieties.

White mold. This is the smallest group, but it contains the famous Brie and Camembert. These varieties are covered with a characteristic white coating, which forms in special cellars, the walls of which are covered with fungi of the genus Penicillum.

Red mold. These varieties, including Livarot and Munster, are covered with red mold, which appears on the product during the ripening process, when it is treated with special bacteria.

Greenish-blue mold. Unlike the first two groups of blue cheeses, in this third the mold is contained within the product rather than covering its surface. This state of cheese is achieved through the use of a special cooking technology. Mold is added to the curd mass using special tubes, where it safely brings the cheese to the desired condition. The most famous cheese in this group - Roquefort. Experts say that this cheese can only be real if it has true French origin; any domestically produced analogue is a shameless fake at an incredible price.

How to use it correctly

The question is actually not an idle one, because if you start your acquaintance with the delicacy with the wrong variety, you can easily become disappointed in it. Gourmets recommend starting with Brie, and after getting used to its specific taste, start tasting “blue cheeses” without a strong taste. And last but not least, try Roquefort and Camembert.

You should treat these types of cheese with respect and not turn them into an everyday food product, especially if you don’t indulge your children with blue cheeses. Such cheeses are strictly prohibited for pregnant women. The product is truly specific and abuse of it can only cause harm. By the way, the amount of cheese that you can afford to eat at one time should not exceed 50 grams. A glass of rich-tasting wine and fruit go very well with this cheese.

But before you use it correctly, you need to choose it correctly. Of course, pay attention to the release date and expiration date of the product. When choosing cheese with white mold, smell it: the right cheese smells like penicillin, and may give you hospital associations (at the level of smell).

If you choose a noble blue cheese, consider it carefully. The section should show veins of mold, but the channels through which it was introduced should not be obvious. The cheese should be loose and soft, but not fall apart.

Storage

In order for cheese to retain its usefulness, it must be stored correctly. Moreover, the refrigerator is not suitable for this. In the homeland of these cheeses, they even produce special cabinets for storing them. In our case, it is advisable to buy a small amount of cheese “at a time”; purchasing this product, as they say, for future use is not recommended. But if you still haven’t finished eating, then under no circumstances transfer blue cheese to plastic. Let it be stored in its “native” shell, and cover the cut with paper.

The benefits of blue cheese

Does it exist ? This is the question that causes a lot of discussion among beginners. Of course, such cheeses, like any other, are very healthy due to their high calcium content. Moreover, this important element is absorbed in the best possible way thanks to the presence of mold. Noble blue cheeses are rich in protein; even eggs and fish cannot compete with them in this regard.

In addition, these cheeses are rich in amino acids, which are necessary for the formation and strengthening of muscles. An important plus is that the delicacy is rich in vitamins and phosphorus salts. And recent studies have proven that regular consumption of blue cheese improves the formation of melanin, which protects the skin from exposure to sunlight.

What harm can it do?

If you adhere to the recommended norm - no more than 50 grams, then such cheese will definitely not harm a healthy person. But do not forget that mold, which is beneficial in small doses, can be harmful in large quantities, because it will be difficult for the stomach to process it. This means that if abused, even the healthiest person may experience problems associated with disruption of the normal intestinal microflora.

Those people who have chronic gastrointestinal diseases should exercise caution and better refuse the delicacy. It is worth knowing that the fungus contained in mold produces an antibiotic that destroys beneficial bacteria in the intestines. The result is, or at least intestinal upset.

As you can see, there are about as many arguments for blue cheese as there are against. Therefore, focus not only on the size of your wallet, but also on your state of health. “Gourmet” for health, but wisely!

This product has long been loved by people because of its piquant taste and unusual appearance. For any gourmet, you can choose a variety of blue cheese. In addition, it brings invaluable benefits to the body.

The composition of this cheese, like any other, includes a lot of calcium, due to this, it is considered healthy. The peculiarity is that due to the mold state, calcium will be absorbed by the human body much faster. In addition, it is the most important source of protein, surpassing even fish or eggs.

The composition contains amino acids that influence muscle formation. It has been proven that a person who regularly consumes mold cheese has good skin protection from sun rays due to the production of melanin.
Serve a variety of products on a large round plate. A wide variety of varieties are laid out on it. Each type of cut has its own shape. Light cheeses are usually placed along the edges, and the most piquant types are placed in the middle. To ensure a fuller taste of the product, the cheese should stand at room temperature for about an hour before serving.

Due to the unusual taste, strong wines are usually served on the table. In addition, you can serve with bread, crackers, and fruit. In some recipes, mold cheese is placed in pasta, pizza, and also in various salads.

Cheeses with white mold

Names of cheeses with white mold:

• Bree. It is white in color, with a slightly grayish tint. It is produced in the form of a circle, with a diameter of up to 60 cm. The thickness of the product can be different, from 3 to 5 cm. The smaller the thickness, the sharper the taste will be. Young, unripe brie will have a soft texture. With the aging process, it hardens. The smell is reminiscent of ammonia, the white crust smells strongly of ammonia. But, nevertheless, all fragments are edible and safe for humans. It is this type that is recommended to be consumed when first getting acquainted with mold products;
  
• Boulette d'Aven. Of all the species, it is considered the most smelly. Not every gourmet decides to try this product. Made from soft, curd mass. At the initial stages of ripening, the cheese is kept in beer brine, then parsley, wormwood, garlic, and pepper are added. Thanks to these ingredients, such a pungent odor appears. Form into a cone, weighing 180-200g, then sprinkle generously with paprika and leave to ripen for up to 3 months. Ready cheese has a soft structure. The product is stored for no more than 30 days.
• Camembert. Soft cheese with a creamy consistency. Prepared from two types of milk, whole and skim. The process of making cheese is long and complex. For production, only the highest grade milk is required. Therefore, cows are grazed on specialized pastures before being milked. The color of the finished product can be either light cream or dark. Covered with airy, white mold. The thickness of the finished flatbread is up to 3 cm, width up to 11 cm. The sharpness of the cheese varies depending on the ripening time. It has a pronounced mushroom flavor. The product has a short shelf life, so it is often sold unripe;
  
• Cambozola. Made from premium quality milk, special starter culture, salt and cream. Using knitting needles, veins of blue mold are introduced into the inner part of the cheese, and the outer layer is covered with white mold. It has a delicate texture and a sharp, piquant taste. It was obtained experimentally, during experiments on different types of cheese. Produced in two types: fat up to 70%, low-fat up to 25%;
• Kare. French cheese, the upper part of which is covered with an edible mold crust. Its fat content is reminiscent of brie;
• Coulommier. Made from pasteurized milk, it has a delicate texture. The diameter of the cheese wheel is from 12 to 15 cm, thickness is 3-3.5 cm. On top there is a crust of white mold, sometimes with red spots. The product matures for up to 8 weeks, its hardness depends on this;
  
• Neuchatel. A variety of soft product, ripens from 3 to 4 months. The longer the aging occurs, the softer the product will be. In cross section it has a light yellow color. The upper part is covered with a white cap of mold. The peculiarity of the species is that it is produced in completely different forms, the most common form being the heart;
• Pont-Leveque. Refers to the variety with the most pungent odor. This happens by soaking the finished product in brine. It has a square shape. It is made in 2 types: homemade - from unpasteurized milk, factory - from pasteurized milk. Homemade cheese can only be found on shelves in Normandy. The ripening process lasts up to 5-6 weeks;
  
• Rouzette. One of the types of brine, mold cheese. During the cooking process, it is washed 5 times. It has a sharp ammonia smell, the crust is slightly pinkish in color, due to the content of paprika;
• Shawrs. It looks like a small, square head covered with an airy cap of white mold. The taste resembles mushrooms or hazelnuts. The texture is creamy and delicate. Ripens up to 3 weeks.
  

Blue cheeses

Names of blue cheeses:

Cheeses with red mold

Types of cheeses with red mold:

Cheeses with green mold

Names of cheeses with green mold:

How to choose quality mold cheese: a quick guide

Rules to follow when choosing blue cheese:

1. There are no openings on blue cheeses that are too wide, otherwise it will be a spoiled product. Blue mold should not fill a large number of channels;
2. The cheese should retain its shape, while being slightly loose and moist;
3. It is necessary to carefully examine the composition of the cheese; penicillin and salt are usually used for ripening. There should not be any artificial colors present;
4. Fresh cheese has the smell of penicillin, a snow-white crust, and traces of the grill on which it was aged may be visible;
5. The product should melt in your mouth like butter. If there is a hardened layer around the edges, this is a sign that it has been stored for too long;
6. The shelf life of any cheese should not exceed 2 months;
7. The presence of a huge number of holes in the cheese indicates a low-quality manufacturer;
8. Brine cheese should not have a loose appearance;
9. The cheese must be packaged in special wax paper. This is done to stop the maturation and growth of mold;
10. It is easy to determine the presence of palm oil in a product if you press lightly on it. The outer structure of the bar must be elastic.

Many manufacturers of mold cheese varieties have been famous for centuries.

Such a product can decorate any holiday table, especially if you combine different varieties on one dish. In addition, high-quality cheese brings great benefits to the body, especially for those who play sports. The most important thing is to follow the instructions when choosing a product.

And in addition - an interesting video about how blue cheese is made.

Penicillum roqueforti (PR) - a type of mold that has been used for the longest time in the production of savory “marbled” cheeses. Different strains of PR produce different shades of veining in the cheese, ranging from pale blue to almost black. There are gray and green varieties. All these variations produce different shades of cheese dough flavor with varying degrees of piquancy and bitterness. Penicillium roqueforti is a natural mold that lives in soil, decaying organic matter, and on plants. It is no coincidence that one cheese forgotten on a stone in a cave became the ancestor of the famous Roquefort. The traditional way of cultivating “noble” blue mold is to grow it on black bread, but at home, and even more so in production, the safest option would be to use laboratory-cultivated PR strains that produce few mycotoxins () and are safe for health.

The most common problems:

Too intense odor in the early stages of ripening

Description: The mold smell increases too quickly and becomes too intense and pungent.

How to fix: this happens due to too high humidity in the chamber. Lower the humidity and the intensity of the odor will decrease.

Mold grows too slowly on the surface of the cheese

Description: blue mold practically does not grow on the surface of the cheese, leaving room for other types of mold to grow.

Possible reasons:

1. Too low humidity in the maturation chamber results in no surface activity of blue mold.
   How to fix:increase the humidity in the cheese ripening chamber.
2. The PR culture being used is expired/inactive.
   How to prevent:This happens extremely rarely, because the culture of PR is extremely resilient and tenacious. However, try using mold from another manufacturer, observe storage conditions and dosage.
3. There is too little moisture in the cheese itself.
   How to prevent:this problem can be solved at the stage of setting the cheese grain: cut it larger, stir less intensively.
   

Mold does not spread throughout the body of the cheese

Description: at the end of the ripening period, the body of the cheese is not streaked with blue mold. It is present only locally in a few places, or is absent altogether.

Possible reasons:

1. The cheese is cut too early.
   How to prevent: For normal development of blue mold in the body of cheese, it takes at least one and a half to two months. To test cheese at different stages of ripening, you can use a sampler tool.
2. The body of the cheese has a closed texture and does not contain a sufficient number of eyes where mold could develop.
   How to prevent: To grow, blue mold needs space inside the cheese, a cavity where it can nest, or micro-cracks between compressed pieces of cheese mass where it can penetrate. Depending on the cheese making technology, recommendations may be as follows:
   - use an active gas-forming culture that produces eyes in the body of the cheese during ripening
   - do not press the cheese head too much
   - grind the cheese mass before pressing, ensuring the presence of mechanical cavities between the pieces of cheese mass
3. There are few/no/quickly overgrown holes for aerating the cheese.
   How to prevent: Penicillium roqueforti cannot develop and grow in an airless space, so in order for it to begin to grow inside the cheese, filling all the available cavities in it, it is necessary to ensure an air flow inside the cheese. This aeration is done using special long needles (in everyday life, successfully replaced with knitting needles), which pierce multiple blind holes in the body of the cheese. Wherein:
   - if there are not enough holes, then the mold inside the cheese will have little air for growth, it will develop poorly;
   - the holes can become overgrown and clogged with mold itself, both on the surface and inside, so it is advisable to renew them every 10-15 days during the first month and a half of cheese ripening.
   

White mold grows on the surface, inhibiting the growth of blue mold

Description: This usually happens if the ripening chamber has more suitable conditions for the growth of Penicillium candidum (PC) than Penicillium roqueforti: not very high humidity and fairly cold temperature. At the same time, PR activity on the surface of the cheese decreases, and if there is a possibility of infection with PC from the air or from other cheeses in the neighborhood, then this usually happens. If you do not take action, then the ripening blue cheese can turn out to be Cambozola, which is also not bad, but not quite what you expected, is it?)

How to fix: increase the humidity in the ripening chamber to 95%, increase the ripening temperature. Separate the cheese from the cheeses with PC on the surface.

Not every product on which mold has settled is edible. Blue cheese is a completely different matter. The benefits and harms of such an exquisite dish are known to few, which is why our demand for it is low. Not everyone decides to purchase this delicacy. Some are put off by its appearance and cost. It's time to get acquainted with this exclusive.

In the world of delicacies: the benefits of blue cheeses

Cow's or goat's milk is used for their production. Although the collection of these cheeses includes many varieties, they all contain milk cheese (30 g per 100 g), protein (20 g), essential amino acids (arginine, valine, tryptophan, histidine). They contain large quantities of the most important microelements - phosphorus, calcium. They are presented in such a combination that allows them to be completely absorbed.

This product itself has many health-promoting properties, and specially grown mold adds additional therapeutic and preventive qualities to it.

The value of elite varieties of cheese for human health:

• have an anti-inflammatory effect (due to the presence of penicillin);
• normalize digestion;
• supply calcium to the body, and mold improves its absorption;
• normalize the balance of hormones;
• relieve chronic fatigue, eliminate insomnia - this important property is provided by the presence of pantothenic acid;
• have a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state: consumption of blue cheeses causes increased synthesis of serotonin (called the “happiness hormone”) because they contain tryptophan and histidine;
• promote the formation of melanin in the skin: this substance provides protection from harmful UV radiation;
• tidy up the functioning of the intestines, prevent bloating: Penicillium cheese fungi create favorable conditions for the proliferation of “good” bacteria, and also eliminate the processes of fermentation and rotting;
• support the heart, have a beneficial effect on the condition of blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, increase blood flow (this effect is due to the presence of vitamin K in their composition);
• thin the blood;
• protect against heart attack, stroke;
• saturate the body with proteins: a piece of “moldy” cheese contains more protein than a similar portion of fish or meat;
• have a rejuvenating effect, have a regenerating and wound-healing effect.

Important! Even if funds allow, such a dish should not be eaten daily or in large quantities. The recommended norm for a relatively healthy person is 50 g per day, and under no circumstances on an empty stomach!

Why are aristocratic cheeses dangerous?

In our minds, mold is associated with a spoiled product. But in the countries where blue cheese comes from, its benefits are discussed, but no one even remembers the harm. This product is considered a masterpiece. The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. There is still a danger from its use.

Side effects of cheeses with “cultured” mold:

• disturbance of intestinal microflora: dysbiosis can occur if you eat more than 50 g of cheese per day;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• allergies: if you are hypersensitive to penicillin, the moldy delicacy will provoke rashes and other allergic symptoms.

It is strictly not recommended for pregnant and lactating women to indulge themselves with such delicacies. Soft moldy cheeses contain listeria, bacteria that cause infectious diseases. They will cause fever, vomiting, and fever in the expectant mother. This can turn into a real disaster - pathologies will arise in the baby’s development or a miscarriage will occur.

About the special medicinal properties of different varieties

When Penicillium roqueforti spores are added to the cheese substance, blue mold cheese is obtained. Its benefits and harms are due to the fact that it contains a lot of protein and calcium. The greenish-bluish mold is found inside these cheeses rather than covering their surface.

The most famous representatives in the collection of “blue” cheeses:

This is the famous cheese with green mold, the benefits and harms of which require a separate discussion. It is made from sheep's milk, which is colonized by a fungus. It is endowed with anti-inflammatory properties, therefore it alleviates the condition of arthritis, gout, and inflammation of the joints. This cheese reduces the risk of cardiovascular pathologies, slows down the aging process and prevents cellulite from appearing. Its calorie content is 337 Kcal per 100 g.

This is blue mold cheese. Its benefits and harms are no less multifaceted. Thanks to peptides, it has an antithrombotic effect. This cheese is a powerful aphrodisiac. It has a positive effect on the immune system, helps bone growth, and has antioxidant properties. The downside is that it contains 351 kcal.

Fights stress, improves blood clotting, protects against carcinogens. Contains 354 Kcal.

Normalizes cholesterol, metabolism, improves blood composition, prevents dehydration. It contains 353 Kcal.

Penicillium fungi are not found in the “wild” nature; they were invented and grown by humans as a result of long and painstaking artificial selection. Such fungi are grown on the walls of special cellars, where white mold cheese ripens. Its benefits and harms are also specific.

The mold of such cheese contains amino acids that accelerate the recovery of affected organs and tissues. The range of these delicacies is not too wide. It includes Brie and Camembert. A white fluff of mold covers the top of the cheeses.

Important! For the first test, it is better to take Brie cheese.