WHAT IS DANISH BLUE?
Danish blue cheese wheels in are creamy and semi-soft. These ost (cheese) have a beautiful yellowish white paste and blue green veining. The same penicillium mold used in Roquefort creates the bacterial marbling of this cheese. And if you buy a salad at a restaurant, 50-50 chance that the blue is from Denmark. But when you take a wedge home though, don’t wrap it in plastic like most cheeses, go with foil instead.
WHERE IS DANISH BLUE MADE?
Remember that mysterious island from the T.V. show “Lost”? How it was like the X-Files meets Hawaii but with a giant smoke monster that ate people? Well, swap the smoke monster for a wheel of blue cheese that gets eaten and you have the Danish island of Bornholm. Home to one of the best cheese producers around, the St. Clemens dairy year after year wins awards for its cow’s milk blues.
Last night I saw upon my stair,
An export manager who wasn’t there,
He wasn’t there again today
And all my beer has gone away…
However if you want to buy cheese from this mysterious island, be forewarned. Their export manager is like Jacob from the T.V. show, a man of mystery. While he never makes appointments, will suddenly show up where you live no matter the country, drink all your beer while talking about horses, and vanish back to the island.
IS SOMEONE HAVING WEIRD SEX IN MY MOUTH?
You might think that the wedge of blue cheese sitting in your refrigerator is lifeless. Guess again! It turns out the bacteria and mold have more genetic diversity then is possible by just asexually producing. Moreover they are sexually producing (cue Barry Manilow music) pretty much anyway hospitable. To read more click here!
WHAT CAN I PAIR WITH DANISH BLUE?
So blue cheeses are normally paired with very sweet wines like sauternes and port. There is a synergistic effect in these matters. But the range of flavors that a blue cheese can have should not be underestimated. From the creamy, luxurious taste of Danish Blue to the spicy, piquant flavor of a Catalan buffalo blue, these cheeses span a wide range of flavor. So tread carefully but if sweet is not to your liking, try a sparkling or acidic white.
