How does the blue get in the blue cheese?
Blue mould spores (penicillium roquefortii) are added to the milk in the vat, at the beginning of the blue cheese making process. During the maturing period, the cheeses quickly grow blue mould on the outside of the cheeses. They are then spiked with stainless steel needles to allow air to enter the cheese and to speed up mould growth throughout the cheese interior. You can often see straight lines of blue mould growth in blue cheeses which is a result of this process. The mould continues to grow throughout the cheeses and grow in the gaps between the curds. This process gives blue cheeses their characteristic appearance and has been named ‘blue veining’.
