Fermented cheeses: blue cheeses with the presence of edible molds
Fermented cheeses generally contain histamine: a substance that can cause allergies and therefore to be strongly avoided if you are allergic! Another intolerance to pay close attention to is lactose: almost all cheeses contain lactose so if you can't eat this substance you have to limit the cheeses in your diet to the maximum, especially if fresh. Find out more about lactose intolerance, look video!
Fermented cheeses: what are they?
The first cheese that comes to mind when talking about fermented cheeses is undoubtedly Gorgonzola, a famous Lombard blue cheese, much loved also abroad. The ingredients needed to make gorgonzola are cow's milk, salt, rennet to which starters are added, micro orgasms that initiate a chemical reaction. Colonies of mushrooms are also added that are different according to the type of Gorgozola, penicillium glaucum (Gorgonzola Dolce) or penicillium roqueforti (spicy Gorgonzola).
The forms of this fermented cheese are pierced to let the external oxygen in contact with the inside so the colonies of fungi proliferate in the paste (you can't help but realize it, they are gray / blue!). These mushrooms are responsible for the flavor and also for the persistent smell of Gorgonzola.
Other fermented or blue cheeses are Roquefort; Bruzzo (which is also called Bruss), Stilton and even ricotta forte from Puglia. The typical French sheep's milk cheese is called Roquefort, which has blue veins inside due to molds. Stilton instead comes from England, it is always made with cow's milk and has blue veins like Gorgonzola.
Returning to Italy, other blue cheeses are Bruzzo, a particular sheep's milk ricotta that is made in the mountain municipalities of the Imperia area, which ferments with the addition of grappa (and therefore with the addition of alcoholic substances). Finally, the strong Apulian ricotta, also called "Scant" or "Ascuant" (which in dialect means "strong"):
with a typical spicy flavor. A soft and spreadable cheese with a long fermentation.
Flowered rind cheeses: a type of fermented cheese
Fermented cheeses also include cheeses with a flowery rind that are made with the insertion of very particular molds that create that soft covering that we find in some soft cheeses such as Camembert or Brie. In these cases, molds and fungus spores they are sprinkled on the outside of the cheese and end up covering the entire surface.
When it comes to spores of fungi and molds it is good to remember that we always talk about edible molds, that is, molds that can be eaten safely. It is precisely the edible molds that give the cheese a perfume similar to Champignon mushrooms and hints of milk.
Unfermented clasps: let's find out which ones are indicated like this
As we have seen, all cheeses undergo a process of fermentation of rennet: despite this many types are considered "unfermented". Among these, unfermented fresh cheeses are those that mature in 30 days and soft cheeses. In general, mozzarella, scamorza, robiola or stracchino are non-fermented cheeses. And then again Carthusian, crescenza, squacquerone, ricotta, asiago, fontina ... in short, there are so many cheeses and each with its own specific taste and history! Among the non-fermented cheeses, aged cheeses must also be included which are fermented, obviously, but mature in a very long time. Let's think, for example, of Parmiggiano Reggiano or even "Emmentaler".
Beware of histamine: typical of fermented cheeses!
Both the blue cheeses and the aged cheeses we have just talked about are cheeses rich in histamine, a substance that often causes allergies and can lower the immune system.
Histamine is a substance that our body already produces but is also found in many foods, especially in the case of fermented foods. All people who are histamine intolerant should always have a diet with histamine-free foods. If these intolerant people eat adequately and perhaps also choose histamine-liberating foods (which help the body to excrete histamine), all symptoms of an allergic nature, such as hives or dermatitis, disappear spontaneously. If you suffer from allergy or intolerance to histamine then avoid aged cheeses, blue cheeses and even those with a flowery rind because they contain a large amount of histamine. However, you can eat lots of fresh cheeses and even yogurt without any problem!
