Blue cheese (alternatively bleu cheese) is a form of cheese that contains branching "veins" of the mould species Penicillium roqueforti (or the closely related P. glaucum), a common fungus. It is typically aged for several months, or even years, before it is "ripened," although the mould (and other agents, such as yeasts and lactogenic bacterial cultures) may be added before or after the cheese is initially fermented into a wheel. It is for this reason that many varieties of blue cheese are noted for their specific stench, though other varieties may lack this characteristic, depending on the presence of certain bacterial cultures added, if any.
Often, if eaten by itself, it is typically paired with an aged wine. It is commonly added to food as part of a condiment for dipping food into.

See also

• dairy_product