Is Blue Cheese Gluten Free?

by momcooksglutenfree.blogspot.com

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

Gluten-free shopping tips (for the EU)

Things to be considered when shopping for food

Daily food shopping is no easy task for sufferers of coeliac disease; the diverse range of products seems to be almost infinite, but each selected product presents the same question: Can I really eat this? The following tips and information will help you to fill your shopping basket correctly:

• Since November 2005, the 14 most important allergen substances, which are often found in foodstuffs, must be specified on the product label – independent of contained form and amount. For this reason you should read the label thoroughly before purchasing selected foodstuffs, even though it costs a little time and effort.

• Attention: Products that were manufactured before the aforementioned date are still allowed to be sold; gluten-containing ingredients are not necessarily specified on the product label in this case! And: The compulsory certification is only applied to packed goods and not to goods that are sold without packaging or rather individually.

• If one or more of the ingredients on the label are not familiar to you, we recommend that you should leave the product on the shelf.

• If you should find the designation "starch" or "modified starch" on the label, the starch in question is gluten-free in accordance with the EU ordinance from February 2000; gluten-free starch content has to be declared specially since this date.

• The general rule is: The fresher or more natural the food is, the higher the chances are that the food is gluten-free; and vice versa: The more the food is processed, the higher the chances are that the food is gluten-containing.

• Even if the product is usually gluten-free in its natural form, please take into consideration that the food may be contaminated, i.e. in the case of gluten-free grain, flour or bread and pastries. (Side note of blogger: when the product might be contaminated then the company has to state that on the product label.)

• Products that are provided in various regions or countries by large-scale foodstuff manufacturers are usually labelled with the same brand name, but the respective products may possibly contain differing ingredients. For this reason, please exercise caution when buying familiar products abroad. The rule applied here is also: Study the label or request information via the respective National Coeliac Society.

• All medication is gluten-free as a basic principle. Thus, you can take medication without any problems (the current standards set by the European Pharmacopoeia (compliance with which is verified by Office IV of the Italian Ministry of Health) are considered suitable for those affected by coeliac condition (gluten intolerance), as are medicinal products containing wheat starch).

• Obtain detailed shopping lists of the most commonly provided products on the retail market and take the list with you when you go shopping. These lists can be obtained from the respective national Coeliac Disease Societies of many countries. Such foodstuff lists are provided, for instance, by the German coeliac disease society known as Deutschen Zöliakie Gesellschaft, the Austrian coeliac society known as Arbeitsgemeinschaft Zoeliakie, the Italian coeliac society known as Associazione Italiana Celiachia, the British coeliac society known as Coeliac UK and the Spanish coeliac society known as Federación de Asociaciones de Celíacos de Espana.

• If you really want to be on the safe side, you should preferentially buy safe products made especially for coeliac disease sufferers, such as those provided by Schaer. (Side note of blogger: very good products, I eat them almost daily.)

(www.schaer.com)