Strong Aromas of Blue Cheese

There is no way you can forget your first view, first smell and first taste of any Blue Cheese.

The milk could be that of a cow, sheep or goat, but the final product is spotted or veined throughout with either blue, greyish blue or blue-green stuff that looks and is a form of mould. As for the process, it could be that the cheese is injected with spores before the curds form and others have spores mixed in with the curds after they form. Typically, these cheeses are aged in a temperature-controlled environment, maybe a cave or man-made area.

Cheese Platters

Gone are the days when only big hotels had a small platter of cheeses in their buffets. Nowadays, of course, five-star hotels have a wider selection including varieties of Brie and sometimes more than one option of the blue cheese too. A recently enjoyed cheese platter at a hotel had an enviable selection of Brie, Cheddar, Emmental and above all, favourite Roquefort blue cheese.

Then there are stand-alone restaurants that have not only cheese platters served with crackers and/or breads but even blue cheese-based dishes like fondue have become popular.

Demand and supply feed off each other. As demand increases, outlets stock up more; on the other hand, as supply chains get better managed and more is available to experiment with, people enjoy more varieties and the demand is created because the supply was there.

Ways to Enjoy Blue Cheese

Apart from adding it to food, there are other ways to enjoy all cheeses and especially the blue cheese with its strong flavour and different texture. Try any of these:

* On crackers
* With crusty bread
* With fruit - fresh or the Italian candied style
* With wine - especially the sweeter dessert wines give it a different dimension.
* With robust and good red wines too
* Definitely Stilton with Port
* Just on its own

Additional ways to enjoy it in different seasons: