Legend has it that the first mouldy cheese was discovered thousands of years ago when an absent-minded shepherd left his curds and bread in a cave while he was off chasing sheep.
The shepherd returned to find a moldy sandwich but was so hungry he ate it anyway. Since then, moldy cheeses such Roquefort, Gorgonzola, English Stilton and Danish blue have been developed by Europeans into gourmet fare.
Gorgonzola was the first Bleu-veined cheese to be mentioned in the literature, in 879, while Roquefort was describe in customs papers in 1070. Gorgonzola originated when an innkeeper in the Valsassina area, stored stracchino cheese in his cellar for a bit too long, and some developed a blue mould. He served regardless to the local cheesemakers who loved it and copied his method.
Stilton was not mentioned until the 17th century. It was Britain’s most famous blue cheese, named after the town of Stilton, where a busy stagecoach station on the Great North Road the enterprising landlord of the Bell Inn sold the cheese to appreciate travelers.
In Denmark, the production of Danablu and Mycella, Blue Cheeses from cow’s milk started in the 1870s. Denmark is known for its Danish blues or Danablu. This cheese was invented by Marius Boel, who wanted to create a blue cheese that as similar to Roquefort.
Although Boel started with this French cheese as model, the resulting Danish blue, is entirely different. Another Danish blue cheese is Bla Castello, which was developed in the 1960s.
In 1937 Experimentation Station of Iowa State University developed a process for making blue cheese from homogenized milk, which became the standard for the blue cheese industry and was used by the Fred and Robert Maytag to produce their Maytag Blue Cheese.
The earliest makers of blue cheese used bread to begin production of the distinctive mold and then waited patiently for the veins of mold to grow and spreads naturally between the curd.
The origin of blue cheese and its history
