Ah, the great debate. Is blue cheese gluten free? Quite a few posts have sparked some passionate discussion regarding whether or not blue cheese is gluten free.
I'd let this one go, as I think the lively debate tends to bring out some great points and perspective. However, in this case, I LOVE blue cheese and for all other blue cheese lovers who are gluten free, I thought you should know that there are brands of blue cheese that you can enjoy...that are naturally gluten free!
In the gluten free community, blue cheese has been on the "no no" list for years. The myth behind why "all blue cheese has gluten" (not true) is actually based on fact. Partial truths aside, it is important to be educated in the process to truly deliberate the sanctity of the perpetuated rumor that abounds.
Once upon a time, and still today in some cases in Europe where they actually have CAVES, cheesemakers added mold grown in bread during an additional step in the ageing called, "needling." That's what gives it the blue/green streaks. Mold.
"Original recipes for Roquefort cheese required that cheesemakers leave loaves of rye bread in the caves near the town. The loaves became hosts to the ambient mold in the air. After a month or so, the mold inside the loaves of bread was dried, ground and combined with cheese curd. (Remember, the bread simply acted as a host for the ambient mold spores in the cave; Penicillium Roqueforti is not the same type of mold that grows on any old loaf of bread one might leave out.) To further encourage the growth of mold that flavored the cheese, the wheels of cheese were aged inside the caves.
Today, most cheesemakers use commercially manufactured Penicillium Roqueforti cultures that are freeze-dried. Anyone can order powdered cultures in the mail."
The commercially manufactured Pencillium has nothing to do with bread. The legend of the bread is confined to the cheesemakers who used caves.
For more from the About.com article, read HERE.
However, today in the 21st Centurty, it seems that there are just as many blue cheeses are made with a laboratory version of blue mold as there are cheeses containing wheat. One thing I learned during my research was that some companies just flat out add wheat! Why? I have no idea. But wheat is listed as an ingredient in some brands. That means that they actually, purposely added wheat.
The short answer to, "Is blue cheese gluten free?" is, "Well, it depends."
Yes. You can buy blue cheese gluten free.
Yes. Some blue cheese brands are made with wheat.
When in doubt, leave it out.
When craving blue cheese, simply check with the manufacturer. (okay, just Google "blue cheese + brand name + gluten free" or go to the brand's website and type "gluten free" in the search)
But wait! There's more!
To save you a little time, here are some gluten free blue cheeses that actually say GLUTEN FREE on their site.
http://www.belgioioso.com/
http://www.rosenborgcanada.com/english/index.php
http://pointreyescheese.com/index.html
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