• Question: Is blue cheese really mouldy cheese?

    Asked by It's yuuuzhe to Min, Marcello, Katie, Israel, Dheeraj, Aoife on 15 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Marcello Valente

      Marcello Valente answered on 15 Nov 2019:

      Blue cheese have mould in it but it’s an editable kind of mould while mouldy cheese is dangerous to your health, especially if the cheese is very soft.

    • Photo: Aoife McHugh

      Aoife McHugh answered on 15 Nov 2019:

      Kind of. Blue cheese has a mould in in to give it the unique colour, smell and taste. However, all cheese have different microbes called starters that are needed to produce the cheese. These are all perfectly safe, and in blue cheese one of the starter microbes is a mould that give it its unique colour, smell and taste. This is different to cheese that has gone passed its use by date and developed mould, which should not be eaten.
      We often hear about the bad microbes (bacteria, moulds, yeasts, viruses), but some are very good for us, and most are harmless. Without microbes we wouldn’t have a lot of the foods and medicines we eat and use, some microbes can also help us make vitamins in our gut.

    • Photo: Min Yap

      Min Yap answered on 15 Nov 2019:

      Yes, it is made with bacteria and mould that bring out the characteristic ‘blue cheese’ flavour. Cheeses are often made with bacteria and mould to bring out flavour and different characteristics from the milk.

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