Soft Blue Veined Cheeses: Raw Milk's Role

Blue-veined cheese, also known simply as blue cheese, is a generic term for cheese produced with cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk. The distinctive blue veins are caused by the addition of cultures of the mould Penicillium roqueforti. Blue cheese is typically aged in temperature-controlled environments and can be soft or semi-soft, with a crumbly to creamy texture. The process of making blue cheese involves specific steps to encourage the growth of the blue mould. One of the first blue cheeses, Roquefort, is made with unpasteurised sheep's milk. Raw-milk cheeses are made with milk that has not been heated to kill bacteria and can be firm, oozy, creamy, or crumbly. They are usually produced by small-scale artisanal producers and are known for their unique flavours and aromatics.

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Roquefort blue cheese is made with raw sheep's milk

Blue cheese is any cheese that has been made with the addition of cultures of edible moulds, which create blue-green spots or veins throughout the cheese. Many varieties of blue cheese exist, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, and Danablu.

Roquefort, or the "King of Cheeses", is a popular French cheese that is made from raw sheep's milk. It is believed to have originated in the fifteenth century and is named after the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France, where it was discovered. According to legend, a young boy eating bread and ewe's milk cheese left his meal in a nearby cave after seeing a beautiful girl in the distance. When he returned months later, the mould (Penicillium roqueforti) had transformed his cheese into Roquefort. The mould is found in the soil of the caves where the cheese is aged. The cheese is moist and crumbly, with a complex and unique flavour profile that balances sweet, savoury, and salty notes.

Roquefort is made from raw Lacaune sheep's milk, which is a breed that was specifically created for dairy production for Roquefort. The sheep are fed on grass, fodder, and cereals, and they graze outdoors from March to December, mostly in the evenings during the summer. The milk is then mixed with a spore-rich Penicillium roqueforti culture and modified milk fat, which is essential for the rapid flavour development of blue cheese. The cheese is aged for 3-5 months in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, where the temperature and moisture levels are naturally controlled.

Raw-milk cheese is made with unpasteurized milk, which means that the naturally occurring flavour-rich enzymes and bacteria are preserved. This results in a more complex and unique flavour profile for the cheese. In addition, raw-milk cheese imparts a "terroir", or a "taste of place", that reflects the unique characteristics of the land where the cheese is produced. However, there are potential food safety concerns with raw-milk cheese, as harmful pathogens may be present. In the United States, the sale of cheese made from unpasteurized milk is forbidden unless the cheese has been aged for at least 60 days to protect consumers from these pathogens.

Raw milk is unpasteurized

Raw milk cheeses have been prized for their unique flavors since ancient times. The process of making blue cheese, for example, involves specific steps to encourage the growth of the characteristic blue mold, Penicillium roqueforti, which develops naturally during the maturation process. This mold is responsible for the blue veins throughout the cheese and contributes to its distinctive flavor. Blue cheese is typically made from cow's, sheep's, or goat's milk, and its texture can range from soft and semi-soft to crumbly and creamy.

Roquefort, one of the first blue cheeses to gain worldwide recognition, can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. It is believed that the process of making this cheese was discovered when a young boy's bread and ewes' milk cheese was left in a cave for several months, allowing the mold to transform the cheese. Today, Roquefort is known for its crumbly, soft texture and incredibly complex flavor profile, striking a balance between sweet, savory, salty, and piquant.

In addition to Roquefort, there are several other notable raw milk blue cheeses. These include Great Hill Blue, Bartlett Blue, Bayley Hazen Blue, Maytag Blue, Rogue Creamery Blues, Pt. Reyes Blue, Beenleigh Blue, Harbourne Blue, Blue de Gex, Fourme d'Ambert, Blue de Causses, Blue de Auvergne, Cabrales, Stilton, Shropshire Blue, Valdeón, Bleu d'Auvergne, and Gorgonzola.

While raw milk cheeses offer a unique flavor and sensory experience, it is important to note that they may pose certain food safety risks. Since 1949, the U.S. government has forbidden the sale of cheese made from unpasteurized milk unless it is aged for at least 60 days to protect consumers from potentially harmful pathogens. However, the UK, for example, has exceptionally high food safety standards, and raw milk cheese is not banned there.

Raw-milk cheeses may be firm, oozy, creamy, or crumbly

Raw-milk cheeses are made with milk that has not been pasteurized or heat-treated. They can come in a variety of textures, from firm to oozy, creamy, or crumbly, and can be shaped into wheels or blocks. They are almost always produced by small-scale artisanal producers and are made from the milk of a single herd of cows, sheep, or goats.

Raw-milk cheeses have a unique flavor profile and a sense of "terroir," reflecting the characteristics of the land where they are produced. The rich array of flavors and aromatics, as well as the depth of complexity, are a result of the diverse bacterial cultures present in the raw milk. These "good bacteria" are often destroyed during the pasteurization process, which aims to kill potentially harmful pathogens. However, the absence of pasteurization in raw-milk cheeses can lead to variations in flavor and quality, with some batches being exceptionally good and others being of lower quality.

One notable type of raw-milk cheese is blue cheese, which is made with the addition of cultures of edible molds, creating blue-green veins throughout the cheese. Roquefort, a French blue sheep's milk cheese, is a well-known example of a raw-milk blue cheese with a crumbly, soft texture and a complex flavor profile. Other famous raw-milk cheeses include Comte, Brie de Meaux, Pitchfork Cheddar, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

In the United States, regulations require raw-milk cheeses to be aged for at least 60 days before being sold to consumers, which is meant to protect against harmful pathogens. This regulation has resulted in a lack of squishy raw-milk cheeses in the US market, as most cheeses become fairly firm after two months of aging. However, some cheesemakers argue that using raw milk creates more flavorful and nutritious cheeses, and that the UK's high food safety standards ensure that raw-milk cheeses are safe for consumption.

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Raw milk cheese can be made from cow, sheep, or goat milk

Raw-milk cheese is made with milk that is unpasteurized. Raw milk cheeses can be firm, oozy, creamy, or crumbly, and can come in any shape, from wheel to block. They are almost always made by small-scale artisanal producers and can come from the milk of a single herd of cows, sheep, or goats.

Raw milk has been used throughout history to make great cheeses because of their unique flavour. When milk is cooked or pasteurized, many naturally occurring flavour-rich enzymes (the good bacteria) are destroyed or denatured by the heat, and the cheese loses that important flavour-building foundation. Raw-milk cheese also imparts "terroir", or the "taste of place", that has the unique characteristics of the land in which the cheese is made.

The type of milk used to make cheese can greatly affect its flavour, texture, and nutritional profile. Cow's milk cheeses can highlight the flavour of the grass the animals graze on, and cheesemongers often describe cow’s milk cheeses as ‘grassy’ or say that you ‘can taste the pasture'. Other common tasting notes in cow’s milk cheeses are sweet cream, butterscotch, mushroom, and nuts, depending on the style.

Goat’s milk cheeses generally fall into one of two camps: limestone-y and citrusy or musky and barnyardy. Goat’s milk picks up the acrid flavours of their diet, which equates to anything they can get their mouth on including brambles and thorny grasses. This comes through in goat’s cheese as the ‘goaty’ flavour that can be quite polarising. Goat’s milk also has less of a protein called casein, which causes many goat cheeses to be drier and crumblier than cow's or sheep’s milk cheeses.

Sheep’s milk is significantly higher in fat and protein than either cow or goat’s milk. This means the solid content is much higher in the milk and it makes the best buttery, rich cheese. Some nutty flavours might be picked up from sheep’s cheese but less so than with goat milk flavours.

Blue cheese is any cheese made with the addition of cultures of edible moulds, which create blue-green spots or veins throughout the cheese. Blue cheese is believed to have been discovered by accident when cheeses were stored in caves with naturally controlled temperature and moisture levels that happened to be favourable environments for harmless moulds. One of the first blue cheeses, Roquefort, is made with unpasteurized sheep's milk, inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti, and ripened in the special conditions of the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France.

Raw milk cheese has unique flavours

Raw milk cheeses may be firm, oozy, creamy, or crumbly, and can come in any shape, from wheel to block. They are almost always made by small-scale artisanal producers and often come from the milk of a single herd of cows, sheep, or goats.

Since 1949, the U.S. government has forbidden the sale of cheese made from unpasteurized milk unless the cheese is aged at least 60 days. The 60-day ban is meant to protect consumers from potentially harmful pathogens. After 60 days, the acids and salts in raw-milk cheese naturally prevent listeria, salmonella, and E. coli from growing.

Some cheesemakers believe that using raw milk creates more flavourful and more healthful cheeses. Many cheesemakers believe there is no reason to be fearful of raw milk and no reason to wait 60 days to eat cheese made from it.

Some examples of raw milk cheeses include Roquefort, Comte, Brie de Meaux, Pitchfork Cheddar, Parmigiano Reggiano, Big Bang, Grayson, Winnimere, Morbier, Raclette, Tete de Moine, Juniper Grove Bouche, Constant Bliss, St. Nectaire, Torta del Casar, and Serra da Estrella.

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