International Blue Cheese Day: options to pair it

On October 9, International Blue Cheese Day is celebrated, a variety that arouses passion, with a history as rich as its flavor.

Santa Rosa, the country’s leading cheese factory, tells you how to immerse yourself in the experience of its intense flavor, with the best pairing and in its most delicious presentations and combinations.

Origin of Blue cheese

Its emergence dates back to the 8th century, when in a cave in France a shepherd forgot fresh cheese next to some rye bread and, upon returning, he noticed that the dairy product had a particular color, the result of having fungi transferred by the rye bread. moldy.

Thus was born this legend of gastronomy, whose generic name, Blue Cheese, is shared by the members of the large family of internally moldy cheeses, all with common notes and characteristics given by the development of molds that range from dark blue to blue. greenish or green to dark green. It is made internationally and in each country with its own identity and characteristics, given by the type of milk, the production area, the type of mushroom and the curing, among other characteristics. They have a creamy texture and slightly spicy flavor that intensifies with their maturation (a minimum of 45 days).

Blue Cheese in Argentina

The Santa Rosa cheese factory, the first in the country with more than 100 years of experience in cheese making, has a special plant for the production of blue cheese, in the town of Las Parejas, province of Santa Fe. This is where this cheese is produced. variety with whole cow’s milk and a unique salting technique that respects the traditional French recipe. Inside the cheese, the fungus Penicilium Roqueforti develops, which is added in the production process and is responsible for the blue-green veining.

“Blue cheese is one of our most successful products: it represents 18% of the brand’s sales in volume and has second place in the market. Furthermore, in 2018 it received the Quality Award from Savencia Fromage & Dairy” comments Carolina Rosso, Head of the “Las Parejas” Blue cheese model plant, in the city of Santa Fe under the same name.

Pairing and conservation

Its versatility allows it to be enjoyed in multiple combinations, such as salads, pizzas, sauces, omelettes and even empanadas, but it is also enjoyed alone or accompanied with raisins, dates, dried apricots or black figs. When experimenting, you can try it with cayote candy, whose sweet flavor balances it, and even with dark chocolate.

It is suggested to keep it cold (between 2° and 8°C) and wrapped with aluminum foil with small perforations, since this type of foil allows the mold to continue to have available oxygen and continue to develop.

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The pairing experience with red wine (especially with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Malbec) allows you to enjoy the best intense flavors, but it also combines perfectly with beer, which with its bitterness reproduces an explosive mixture for the palate.

To be enjoyed both inside and outside the mouth and with all the senses, blue cheese deserves to have its day celebrated with multiple creative culinary proposals.