Bleu de Bresse () is a
blue cheese that was first made in the
Bresse area of
France following
World War II. Made from
whole milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulating ...
, it has a firm, edible coating which is characteristically white in color and has an aroma of mushrooms. Its creamy interior, similar in texture to
Brie, contains patches of
blue mold. It is shaped into cylindrical rounds weighing from .
Production
The curds, inoculated with ''
Penicillium roqueforti
''Penicillium roqueforti'' is a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus ''Penicillium''. Widespread in nature, it can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants.
The major industrial use of this fungus is the production of blue ...
'', are placed into a perforated mold. After it has formed the desired shape and removed from the mold, the cheese is salted, turned, drained, and covered with pulverized ''
Penicillium camemberti
''Penicillium camemberti'' is a species of fungus in the genus ''Penicillium''. It is used in the production of Camembert, Brie, Langres, Coulommiers, and Cambozola cheeses, on which colonies of ''P. camemberti'' form a hard, white crust. I ...
'' to form the outer coating.
History
Bleu de Bresse originated in 1951 by an
agricultural cooperative
An agricultural cooperative, also known as a farmers' co-op, is a cooperative in which farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity.
A broad typology of agricultural cooperatives distinguishes between agricultural service cooperati ...
near
Servoz
Servoz () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
Servoz has a railway station on the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway and the section between Les Houches and Servoz holds the ...
in response to the growing popularity of Italian cheeses. The small packaged rounds were an innovation for the retail market at the time.
See also
*
List of French cheeses
*
List of cheeses
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleu De Bresse
French cheeses
Blue cheeses