Bleu de Bresse
Encyclopedia
Bleu de Bresse is a blue cheese
that was first made in the Bresse
area of France
following World War II
. Made from whole milk, it has a firm, edible coating which is characteristically white in color and has an aroma of mushrooms. Its creamy interior, similar in texture to Brie
, contains patches of blue mold
. It is shaped into cylindrical rounds weighing from 125 to 500 grams.
, are placed into a perforated mold. After it has formed the desired shape and removed from the mold, the cheese is salted, turned, drained, and covered with pulverized Penicillium camemberti
to form the outer coating.
in response to the growing popularity of Italian cheeses. The small packaged rounds were an innovation for the retail market at the time.
Blue cheese
Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or...
that was first made in the Bresse
Bresse
Bresse is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne, and Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term Bresse has two meanings: Bresse bourguignonne , which is situated in the east of the department of Saône-et-Loire, and Bresse, which is located...
area of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Made from whole milk, it has a firm, edible coating which is characteristically white in color and has an aroma of mushrooms. Its creamy interior, similar in texture to Brie
Brie (cheese)
Brie is a soft cow's cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated . It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mold; very soft and savory with a hint of ammonia...
, contains patches of blue mold
Penicillium roqueforti
Penicillium roqueforti is a common saprotrophic fungus from the family Trichocomaceae. Widespread in nature, it can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants. The major industrial use of this fungus is the production of blue cheeses, flavouring agents, antifungals, polysaccharides,...
. It is shaped into cylindrical rounds weighing from 125 to 500 grams.
Production
The curds, inoculated with Penicillium roquefortiPenicillium roqueforti
Penicillium roqueforti is a common saprotrophic fungus from the family Trichocomaceae. Widespread in nature, it can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants. The major industrial use of this fungus is the production of blue cheeses, flavouring agents, antifungals, polysaccharides,...
, are placed into a perforated mold. After it has formed the desired shape and removed from the mold, the cheese is salted, turned, drained, and covered with pulverized Penicillium camemberti
Penicillium camemberti
Penicillium camemberti is a species of fungus used in the production of Camembert and Brie cheeses, on which colonies of P. camemberti form a hard, white crust. It is responsible for giving these cheeses their distinctive taste.- Synonyms :...
to form the outer coating.
History
Bleu de Bresse originated in 1951 by an agricultural cooperative near ServozServoz
Servoz is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-References:*...
in response to the growing popularity of Italian cheeses. The small packaged rounds were an innovation for the retail market at the time.