Blue Stilton Cheese: An Accidental Discovery

Known as the King of British Cheeses, Stilton Blue Cheese is a mouthwatering cheese that makes a versatile ingredient in several delicious recipes. It is a rich, strong-flavored British Blue Cheese that is best served with a robust red wine.

Blue Stilton cheese is easily identified because of its unique characteristic – the blue-green veins running from the core of the wheel, out. Blue cheeses are made from either cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk and tend to inspire uniquely strong feelings to connoisseurs. So people either love it or hate it.

Actually, blue cheeses like the Stilton are commonly thought to have been made by accident. According to the story, a hapless cheese maker left a half-eaten hunk of rye in the cheese caves. And when he returned a few weeks or months later, he found that the mold covering the bread had transplanted itself onto the cheese. The daring cheese maker tasted the cheese infested with mold, and instead of tossing it, blue cheese was born.

Stilton is a creamy blue cheese marbled with rich blue veins whose rich flavor mellows with additional aging. It is known for having a sharp after taste, which complements many foods as well. Because Stilton cheese is not pressed, it remains crumbly and flaky, making it a perfect ingredient for salads, pastas, and pizzas. Sometimes, Stilton cheese appears on desert platters, lending a distinguished creamy flavor to the table.

This British blue is one of the few protected origin cheeses made from pasteurized milk. It is made by heating the milk with rennet, allowing curdling. Stirring with the mold in with the curds, cheese makers make sure that the mold is evenly distributed in the cheese. The interesting part of making Stilton cheese is this – metal rods are inserted at random points all throughout, allowing air to penetrate. The rods remain in the cheese until it begins to grow mold because of the bacteria.

Blue Stilton Cheese is usually eaten during Christmas in Britain, where its rich flavor is enjoyed with a glass of fortified wine. There is just a magic that happens in your mouth when you eat a pungent blue mold with salty cheese crystals while chasing it with a delicious Port, with all its sweet and fruity goodness. That unique kick of Stilton offsets the sweet Port, while the wine makes the strong blue seem less powerful and more shaded.

Thanks to serendipity, we can now enjoy a delightful cheese while sipping by the fire during the unseasonably cold winter. Especially ideal for the holidays, Blue Stilton Cheese can definitely warm the cockles of your heart. But if Christmas is too long a wait, make everyday a holiday and get Blue Stilton Cheese today!

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