Blue cheese is a general classification of cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk cheeses that have had Penicillium mould culture added to it. It looks spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold.
These cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment and comprise cheeses such as Roquefort from France, Gorgonzola from Italy and Stilton from the UK. Says executive chef, Anirudhya Roy, Taj Lands End, "Blue cheese is kept in vats with holes in them to mature so that they allow the mould culture to grow. Roquefort is considered the king of cheese and comes from a small village in the south of France. It's the most expensive cheese among blue cheeses. It costs approx Rs1,600 for a kilo," he adds.
Food consultant Rushina-Munshaw Ghildiyal says, "It's a fabulous cheese to have on a cheese board because Indians are particularly fond of strong flavours. Blue cheeses have a sharp smell and pungent flavour, bordering on a sulphurous-like quality but it’s nevertheless delicious when added to salads or had in tarts." She adds, “However consuming it may not be everybody's cup of tea but rather an acquired taste."
Says filmmaker Fahad Samar, “My wife Simone and I both adore blue cheese. I remember first having it at the age of 10 when I tried it out on a visit to France. Didn't like it at the time but gradually I acquired a taste for it.” When in Paris, Fahad gets his cheese from Le Grande Epicerie. “When one is travelling, one is spoilt for choice in its varieties. We usually pick up a four or five varieties and then pair it with wine and bread.”
How to eat it?
Blue cheese is said to be best eaten as is or crumbled over food. Fashionista Sabina Chopra admits: "I like my blue cheese on crackers or on a tomato pasta or a dip."
Jaideep Mukherjee, executive chef of Indigo Deli, which stocks all three varietes of blue cheese, informs, "Blue cheese must have a certain ripeness and maturity — without being overripe either. For that we have to ensure that our suppliers maintain an uninterrupted cold chain from the time it is shipped out from overseas. The taste of of blue cheese must be mature, very sweet and rounded, a slightly metallic flavour and it usually leaves a strong odorific aftertaste," adds Mukherjee.
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