Origin of blue cheese

Several different varieties of Blue cheese have been developed over time, each with its own characteristics involving milk of different animals and different manufacturing methods.

Blue cheeses have probably been produced for a long time either deliberately or by accident before they were describe in writing.

According to the legend, a young shepherd forgot his meal (bread and cheese), and left it in a cave. On his return, he noticed that the mould that had developed on his bread had spread to the cheese.

Gorgonzola was the first Bleu-veined cheese to be mentioned in the literature, in 879, while Roquefort was describe in customs papers in 1070. Gorgonzola originated when an innkeeper in the Valsassina area, stored stracchino cheese in his cellar for a bit too long, and some developed a blue mould.

He served regardless to the local cheesemakers who loved it and copied his method.

Stilton was not mentioned until the 17th century,

In Denmark, the production of Danablu and Mycella, Blue Cheeses from cow’s milk started in the 1870s. Denmark is known for its Danish blues or Danablu. This cheese was invented by Marius Boel, who wanted to create a blue cheese that as similar to Roquefort.

Although Boel started with this French cheese as model, the resulting Danish blue, is entirely different.

Another Danish blue cheese is Bla Castello, which was developed in the 1960s.
Origin of blue cheese

Cheesemaking during ancient times

It is commonly believed that cheese to have originated in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq some 8000 years ago, during the so-called Agricultural Revolution. At that time, when certain plants and animals were domesticated as sources of food.

The residents fed livestock and especially cows, whose milk their owners transformed into a number of cheeses, butter and other dairy products. Among them were cheeses flavored with honey, spices, fruits and herbs.

Most likely the first cheese were made by souring or ‘clabbering’ milk and then draining the whey from the curds in baskets. According to the legend, it is likely that some ancient traveler carrying milk in a pouch made from the lining of a sheep’s stomach discovered that the milk had coagulated into cheese along the way. 

About twenty different types of cheese are described in ancient Sumerian writings from 3000 BC. 

Archeologically, the oldest known cheese was found in an earthenware pot in the Egyptian tomb of King Horaha, dating back to 2300 BC.

Homer in 1184 BC wrote about cheese which was manufactured from sheep’s or goat’s milk in the caves by the ‘Cyclops Polyphemus’. The cheese may have been the ancestor of the Feta and Halloumi cheeses that are widely produced in Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria.

Cheese made from goat’s and ewe’s milk were common fare in ancient Roman times, an era which saw cheesemaking attain an unprecedented level of sophistication.

Knowledge of the art of cheesemaking spread throughout the empire and a number of firm cheeses were developed by the Romans, including Parmesan and Pecorino. The name Parmesan traces back to old Italian’s parmigiano – loosely translated, it means ‘in true Parma style’ or ‘in the ‘Parma tradition’.
Cheesemaking during ancient times