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National Moldy Cheese Day

Food · October 9

A food day for cheeses made with mold on purpose, from blue cheeses like Roquefort and Gorgonzola to soft, white-rinded Brie and Camembert.

National Moldy Cheese Day falls on Saturday, October 9, 2027. That is 347 days away.

Some cheeses are supposed to have mold. Cheesemakers add specific, carefully chosen molds to certain cheeses, and those molds shape the flavor, the texture and the look of the finished wheel. This food day is for those cheeses.

They come in two broad styles. Blue cheeses, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton, have veins of blue or green mold running through the paste. The flavor is sharp, salty and a little peppery. Bloomy rind cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert, wear a soft white coat of mold on the outside. Inside they turn creamy, and the flavor is mild and buttery, with a hint of mushroom near the rind.

The mold in blue cheese needs air to grow, so makers often pierce the young cheese with needles. The little channels let oxygen in, and the blue follows them. Those faint lines you sometimes see in a wedge are the tracks of that piercing.

Most people mark the day with a small cheese board. Blue cheese pairs well with honey, pears, walnuts or a crumble over a salad. Brie is good at room temperature on bread, or warmed until it slumps. Letting any of these cheeses sit out for a while before serving brings out more flavor.

The mold on a wedge of good blue was invited in. The fuzzy spot on last week's bread was not, and it should stay in the trash.

Ways to celebrate

• Try a blue cheese you have never tasted before.
• Make a small board with Brie, bread and sliced pears.
• Drizzle honey over a piece of Gorgonzola.
• Crumble blue cheese over a simple green salad.
• Let a cheese warm to room temperature before tasting it.

Dates

All national days on October 9

Also on October 9

• International Beer and Pizza Day
• National Chess Day
• Curious Events Day

Categories: Food days