What Makes The Different Blue Cheeses

Whether you usually stick to the more popular cheeses or like to try new flavors and varieties, you will probably have noticed that there are several different types of blue cheese available. It is true that each of these cheeses is similar in some way, leading to their classification as a blue cheese, but there are also some important distinctions between them.

What Is Blue Cheese?

Before getting into the differences between blue cheeses, it is important to understand the requirements for being considered a blue cheese in the first place. Blue cheese includes characteristic blue veins and these are made by the addition of the mold Penicillium during the culturing process. In addition to the changing the appearance of the cheese, this mold also changes the scent, texture, and flavor. Blue cheese can be made with any type of milk and tends to be crumbly or soft, depending on the preparation process and exact ingredients. When it comes to blue cheese, most people either love it or hate it as it is a unique taste and scent.

Most Common Blue Cheeses

Probably the three most common types of blue cheese are gorgonzola, roquefort, and stilton. Gorgonzola is made using goat or cow’s milk or a combination. It has a salty taste and a creamy, crumbly, and firm texture. Roquefort is unique for its green veins. There is no rind and the flavor is complex, starting out sweet, then becoming smoky, before leaving a tangy aftertaste. Stilton is made using unpasteurized cow’s milk and is semi-soft as well as crumbly, although aged stilton is creamy.

Other Blue Cheeses

While those blue cheeses are the most common, there are many more types available. Cabrales is made from a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk and tends to be spicier and stronger. Cambozola uses a lot of cow’s milk as it contains three times the normal quantity of cream, creating a soft and ripe cheese. Danish blue cheese is strong, semi-soft, and creamy. It usually ages for 8 to 12 weeks.

Dorset Blue Vinney cheese is made from unpasteurized skimmed milk from cows. Despite still having a strong taste and aroma, it has a harder texture with an outer layer that is crusty. Fourme d’Ambert is a French cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk and it comes in a cylinder. The texture is semi-hard and the cheese ages for about 28 days. Other blue cheeses include Queso de Valdeon, Saint Agur Blue, Blue Castello, Danablu, Cashel Bleu, Stichelton, Maytag Blue cheese, Bleu de Gex, and Bleu d’Auvergne. The differences tend to be in the type of milk used, including the source, and whether or not it is pasteurized or skimmed in addition to the aging process.