Why do French consider blue cheese to be the best cheese

In our country, this outlandish product is almost not produced, and it is not very popular among mass consumers. But in some European countries, and especially in France, blue cheese is considered a great delicacy and is very appreciated among gourmets. In addition to great taste, blue cheese has valuable properties. Let's see what this noble mold is, and what benefits the cheeses containing it can bring.

What is commonly called mold is nothing but penicillium fungi, or penicillium (lat. Penicillium). There are a lot of varieties of these mushrooms, but as a rule, the following species are used in cheese making: Penicillium roqueforti (Roquefort penicillus), Penicillium camemberti (white mold culture), Penicillium glaucum (green mold culture), Penicillium candidum (white mold). Pure bacterial culture is reproduced in the laboratory, but some strains can be found in nature in the French province of Rouergue.

Mold cheeses, considered in Europe as the most valuable product of cheese makers, began to produce in France more than 1000 years ago. At first it was several types of cheese, the recipe for which was kept secret and inherited. Since then, their range has expanded significantly, today there are more than 500 varieties of elite cheese, the main producers of which are France and Italy. Depending on which mushroom or group of mushrooms are used in the preparation, cheeses are divided into white, blue, red and black.

Among the cheeses with mold, the following varieties are distinguished:

Blue cheeses

The most famous representative of this group is the French Roquefort. In addition to it, blue cheeses include dorblu and gorgonzola varieties. Veins of blue mold penetrate these cheeses from the inside, forming numerous spots.

Red cheeses

The varieties of this cheese include Munster, Montagnard, Limburg, Epuas. These cheeses are moldy on the outside, but not inside. This is the most fragrant group of all varieties of blue cheese. Some types of this group, for example, German Munster cheese have a very strong smell. The red color of the mold is achieved through special processing of red wine.

White cheeses

This, for example, French varieties of brie and camembert. Mold in these cheeses, as well as in red, is on the surface. And inside they are very tender and in consistency resemble thick sour cream.

Black cheeses

This is the rarest and most specific kind of cheese with mold, which differs from other varieties in that mold must be cleaned from the surface before use.

What is the special value of blue cheese? Why do the French consider him a delicacy? According to experts, these peculiar cheeses have great health benefits.

The second feature of blue cheese, due to which it is considered extremely beneficial for health, is its high content of various amino acids and trace elements. For example, the amino acid histidine increases hemoglobin. Due to the presence of noble mold, calcium is very well absorbed from this cheese, much better than from other cheese products. Mold cheeses also contribute to the production of a pigment very important for the body - melanin. In addition, these cheese varieties contain a large amount of phosphorus salts, which are beneficial for the human skeletal system. Phosphorus in this cheese is even greater than in many varieties of fish.

But nutritionists warn that excessive consumption of blue cheese can harm the body. Optimum is no more than 50 grams of cheese per day.