Blue

Although blue cheeses fall variously under the semisoft, soft-ripened, and semifirm categories, they must also be considered as a group in their own right, due to one characteristic feature that sets them apart from other cheeses: a network of visible blue mold or veins lacing throughout their interior. These veins are what bring blue cheeses their strong flavor, crumbly texture, and striking appearance.

Blue cheeses are created by adding select bacteria to the curds, and by either packing or puncturing the curds loosely. The latter allows air pockets where the mold may grow, ripening the cheese from within. Blue cheese has a distinctive flavor that gains potency with aging. Pungent and salty and sometimes stinky, blues are for some an acquired taste. But those who like them are hard-pressed to pass one up.