Danish blue cheese is a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese with a pungent and salty taste and distinct blue veins. The blue veins are created by inserting copper rods or wires into the cheese curds before aging. It was created in the early 20th century to compete with Roquefort cheese and is traditionally served as a snack or topping for salads, burgers, steaks, and baked potatoes.
Danish blue cheese, sometimes called Danablu, is a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese commonly sold in the shape of a wedge, drum, or block. Its appearance is distinguished by a whitish, creamy white or pale yellow, slightly moist base riddled with distinct blue veins. Its taste is often described as pungent and salty, and its smell is generally thought to be strong and intoxicating. The rind of Danish blue cheese is edible, as is the case with other semisoft cheeses.
The blue veins in Danish blue cheese are produced by inserting copper rods or wires into the cheese curds as they form and before the cheese is aged. Some other blue cheeses insert rods and mold after the cheese is formed. In both cases, the paths formed by these rods are filled with mold called Penicillium roqueforti which is evenly distributed throughout the mass. After completing this step, the cheese is aged in a cool, dark place, traditionally a purpose-designed cave, for eight to 12 weeks. This process produces a cheese that normally has a fat content of between 25% and 30%.
This cheese was created by Marius Boel in Denmark in the early part of the 20th century. It was meant to compete with the taste, texture and aroma of Roquefort cheese, which was reportedly invented in AD 1070. Famous predecessors of Roquefort and Danish blue cheese include Stilton, which can be traced back to the 18th century, and Gorgonzola, generally considered the oldest blue cheese, it is thought to have originated around AD 879. Interestingly, history indicates that Gorgonzola did not get its distinctive blue veins until the 11th century.
Culinary accounts of blue cheese’s history indicate that an accidental event most likely occurred. The story is that the caves were used to store many types of cheeses and other products that required refrigeration as there weren’t any kinds of artificial refrigeration techniques available. When temperatures and humidity levels in the caves fluctuated, molds reportedly formed on some of the cheeses. Instead of cutting the mold off part of the cheese, a worker tasted it and found that he had enhanced the original flavor of the product. Further experimentation found that inserting the mold into the cheese produced even better flavor and texture.
For years, Danish blue cheese has been served in many countries primarily as a snack accompanied by crackers or toast, a crumbly topping for salads, or with fruit as part of the dessert course. It is traditional in Denmark to top biscuits and bread with Danish blue cheese and serve it for breakfast or as a snack. This cheese, along with other blue cheese varieties, has gained popularity in recent years as a topping for burgers, steaks, and baked potatoes.
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