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The Daily Insight

When did blue cheese become popular?

Author

Matthew Barrera

Published Apr 09, 2026

When did blue cheese become popular?

Gorgonzola is one of the oldest known blue cheeses, having been created around AD 879, though it is said that it did not contain blue veins until around the 11th century. Stilton is a relatively new addition, becoming popular sometime in the early 1700s.

What is the history of blue cheese?

The origin of Blue cheese has an interesting story. It is thought to have been invented by accident when a drunken cheese maker left behind a half-eaten loaf of bread in moist cheese caves. When he returned back, he discovered that the mold covering the bread had transformed it into a blue cheese.

How did they make blue cheese in the old days?

Legend has it that a young man went off in pursuit of his lover and forgot to drain his cheese curds. The next day, he mixed the curds and tried to save them, but the resulting cheese had the blue-green veins of mold after aging. One thing led to another and he and others ate the cheese anyway.

What was the name of the first blue cheese?

According to legend, one of the first blue cheeses, Roquefort, was discovered when a young boy, eating bread and ewes’ milk cheese, abandoned his meal in a nearby cave after seeing a beautiful girl in the distance.

Which is the oldest cheese in the world?

Because it’s a general term for a variety of individual cheeses, we can’t talk about the specific history of blue cheese, but one of the most well known blue cheeses is Roquefort, and because of its story, it is an excellent place to start. Roquefort is actually one of the oldest known cheeses, being praised as far back as 79 A.D.

What kind of cheese is Danish blue cheese?

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.

How did Maytag blue cheese get its name?

The process for making America’s ‘Maytag Blue Cheese’ was developed by the Iowa State U. in 1941 (it is a process for making blue cheese with homogenized milk.) Production was begun by Fred Maytag II (of dishwasher fame) when he heard about the new process.

Where does bleu cheese come from?

Bleu d’Auvergne. Bleu d’Auvergne is a French blue cheese named after its place of origin in the Auvergne region of south-central France. The cheese can be made from raw or pasteurised milk and is sometimes attributed as cow’s milk version of Roquefort (although it is much creamier and buttery).

How is bleu cheese made?

Bleu cheese is made from goat, sheep or cow milk and uses the mold Penicillium glaucum. Gorgonzola is made of un-skimmed goat or cow milk and uses the same mold. Bleu cheese is injected with the mold during production and is allowed to age for many months in an environmentally controlled setting.

What is bleu cheese?

The definition of bleu cheese is the French spelling for blue cheese, a semisoft cheese. An example of bleu cheese is a strong flavored cheese with blue mold running through it.