Americans ( and cheese )

[knightkrawler]

Blue cheese quesadillas. Such yummy goodness fills my belly.

I hope it's not lemony goodness...

[Anderas]

What Kind of blue cheese do you have in the US?

[torilen]

I can't remember if I posted in this thread or not. We've been buying a lot of cheese lately, my wife and I. A new
cheese shop opened up recently, and they not only have stuff on sale often, but they sell their small left-over
pieces in a under $5 box.

We've had several types of soft cheese, like brie and others...a smokehouse blue cheese...several types of
pepper jack...a couple of cheddars...munster...and a havarti that I don't think was havarti.

Long story short...we love cheese with crackers. It is a snack at least two or three times a week, after the
kids go to bed.

[QorDaq]

What Kind of blue cheese do you have in the US?

What kind don't we have? But it really depends on where one shops as to selections, not sure we have the same limitations on country of origin designations that the EU has. Hence Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton and so on may have more than one source? Not sure on that, but it's rare to see a generic "Blue Cheese" unless it's in a dressing or something. I am very partial to Cambozola myself.

maj!

[clmckay]

Maytag Blue Cheese. The only blue cheese. But it tastes like moldy socks.

[knightkrawler]

Exactly. Maytag is the only American blue cheese to my knowledge (wikipedia),
and the only real cheese that deserves the tag Blue Cheese.
The other stuff are dips and sauces (like when served with buffalo wings), probably made from dried real food and bacteria. I don't wanna know what they're really made of.

[clmckay]

I live about a 2.5 hr drive from where it's made (Newton, IA). Passing by a few years ago I stopped and you can get "fresh" cheese. No need to worry that the flavor deteriorates during packing and sitting on a store shelf. It tastes just as rancid as if it'd been on the shelf for a few weeks.

[knightkrawler]

You just need the right wine to go with it and some fig mustard.
Trust me, everything - and especially every kind of cheese - goes right with some kind of wine or even beer in some cases.
I love blue cheese, but it's not a snack on its own.

[Anderas]

Here in France yes.
I love Roquefort. Besides, no American can ever produce Roquefort, more below.

But the French take cheese as dessert. One piece of camembert, one of roquefort... that's it. That's the dessert.
As a German, I prefer the cheese combined with other stuff. Bread. Pizza. Hamburgers. Anything. But not solo.

Americans can't produce Roquefort because Roquefort is produced by putting it on a shelf in the caves of Roquefort. I visited them once. They are impressive. There are large caves and small caves and wind tunnels for ventilation. All of it is natural. The fungi is growing on the walls, between 10 and 30 cm deep. Everywhere. I guess if you stay inside for too long you will become Roquefort yourself . You put your sheep cheese on a shelf, you wait three month, and it becomes basic Roquefort.
They enhance it a bit by "infecting" the raw milk right when it enters the manufactory, but it would work also without adding the spores right away.
The exact taste of the Roquefort is determined by the amount of salt they add. And by the shelf on which it is stored. There are shelf positions that produce a strong cheese and shelf positions that produce a weak cheese. Even the taste is different depending on the cave they use.

So no way ever that an American produces Roquefort. I don't care for other regional labels. Everybody can make Champaign, and most do it better than the frenchies living in Champagne.

But not Roquefort.
Roquefort is the only regional label I know, that has the full right to exist, because that's really a thing you cannot replicate somewhere else.

If I have to be against TTIP just to save Roquefort to be robbed from it's identity, then I will be against it. No American ever can make Roquefort. Except if he buys a cave in Roquefort.

Gorgonzola and other blue cheese derivatives are showing what happens if you try to replicate the process elsewhere. The taste is different. OK. Gorgonzola is not fair as example because they changed the milk. But still, I tried other blue sheep cheeses. And no. Different. Clearly.

No.

American.

Can.

Make.

Roquefort.

Ever.

And they shall not be allowed to claim to do so.

[IvenBach]

What Kind of blue cheese do you have in the US?

https://www.instacart.com/ralphs/products/122732-castello-danish-blue-cheese-4-4-oz is the blue cheese that I like. I'll check on the other different blue cheese that I also liked next time I go to the store.