Rating of the best Russian blue cheeses for 2022

Moldy foods are dangerous to eat - everyone knows that. But an exception to the rule is cheese (unless, of course, it just stale in the refrigerator or on the supermarket shelf). It is infected with mold fungi specifically to achieve a bright taste.

A bit of history

Or rather, not stories, but legends associated with blue cheeses.

According to legend, Roquefort with blue mold was "invented" by a young shepherd who left a piece of sheep's cheese on a stone in a limestone cave for a couple of weeks.During this time, the cheese was covered with a blue bloom and acquired a piquant taste.

Brie cheese was called royal simply because it was considered the best gift for crowned heads. In 774 Emperor Charlemagne called it "one of the most exquisite".

The story of the appearance of Camembert (after the name of the French village of the same name Camembert) is a whole action-packed novel. According to legend, only monks knew the secret of cheese with white mold. But one of them, who survived during the French Revolution, revealed the recipe to his savior, the girl Marie Arel. True or not, of course, no one will know. But in 1928, in the town of Vimoutier, a monument was solemnly erected to that same Marie Arel. The sculpture of a woman, by the way, has survived to the present day, and the story about the monk is told to tourists.

The history of English mold cheeses began in 1730. The innkeeper Thornton was treated to blue cheese on one of the farms. He was delighted with the taste and promptly bought the rights to sell. As a result, Stilton cheese (after the name of the village) began to be sold in his tavern "The Bell". They snatched it up instantly, so fakes began to appear, made in violation of technology, and in some cases even dangerous to health.
Measures to protect the cheese itself and the name were taken, simply limiting production to the territorial counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. That is, products from other regions cannot bear the proud name of Stilton. The ban is in effect to this day.

A funny story is connected with the Italian gorgonzola. According to legend, gorgonzola is a product resulting from a violation of production technology. It seems that originally in the village of Gorgonzola brewed strakkino.But one day one of the cheese makers either messed up something, or didn’t report something, and as a result he got moldy cheese. The rest of the cheese makers, having appreciated the new taste, decided not to adhere to the traditions and also began to directly massively violate the technology.

In general, if someone still has questions about the safety of cheese mold, then after such stories they should disappear by themselves. Once upon a time, moldy cheeses even treated diseases, and they helped. True, hardly anyone then thought about what the reason was.

How cheese is made today

The technological process for a product with blue, white mold is approximately the same. The formed mass at the stage of maturation is infected with fungi species Penicillium candidum, Geotrichum candidum. They are absolutely safe, do not produce carcinogens. And even, on the contrary, suppress the development of harmful microorganisms. True, for reinsurance, such cheese should not be given to young children. And for adults with gastrointestinal problems, it is better to eat dorblu or brie in moderate portions, without fanaticism.

Aging occurs, of course, not in caves, but in specially equipped rooms with constantly maintained temperature and humidity. For blue mold, the cheese heads are pierced to provide the mushrooms with sufficient oxygen. White mold is "grown" on the outside, so this product has a softer, viscous texture and a delicate creamy taste.

How to choose

To buy a safe product, you should pay attention to:

• Compound

Only milk, cream, sourdough, mold cultures - that's it. There should be no artificial stabilizers, milk fat substitutes, preservatives. The same with dyes and flavor enhancers.
Shelf life - no more than 2 months.If the manufacturer indicates 3 months or more, it is a sign that preservatives have been added to the mass.

• View

The mold pattern on the cut is uniform, without smeared areas. The pulp is friable, but not before scattering on the package. Pickled varieties are more dense, plastic, almost do not crumble. Color - from cream to brownish closer to the crust - it all depends on the exposure time, variety.

There should be no oily or sticky coating on the surface - these are signs of either a violation of the recipe (instead of animal fats, the manufacturer added palm oil), or a violation of storage conditions.

• Price

Since far from cheap raw materials are used for production, the final product cannot cost less than 150 rubles per 100 g. Whatever they write on a 250-gram package for 100 rubles is a cheese product that has nothing to do with cheese.

Where to buy

There is no big difference here - you can in ordinary grocery stores, you can in specialized ones. Just keep in mind that the larger the scale of production, the mediocre the taste.

If you take it in supermarkets, then you should look at the expiration dates (situations when an ordinary Russian one turns into a dorblu if stored incorrectly is not uncommon), composition. If you have never tried such cheese (and, frankly, it is not for everyone), then you can order a tasting set - this option is usually offered by manufacturers. Such a set usually includes 5-7 varieties, at least one, but you will like it.

Rating of the best Russian blue cheeses for 2022

With blue mold

Stilton Picante

From Sobolev Cheese, a Yekaterinburg cheese factory opened in 2015. The first product was brewed in the home kitchen, but now there are branded brand stores in more than 30 cities, from Moscow to Khabarovsk.
Semi-soft Stilton Picante is brewed according to traditional recipes from Nottinghamshire cheese makers from full-fat cow's milk. Color - yellowish-cream, slightly darker at the crust. The taste is soft, with noticeable nutty notes, and slightly less “fruity” than the original. The exposure time is at least 3 months.

Price - 2300 rubles per kg.

You can buy in company stores or place an order on the website https://sobolevcheese.ru/

• quality - the company's products have repeatedly won prizes at international competitions;
• full compliance with the recipe and exact observance of technological processes;
• democratic (when compared with European counterparts, the price).

• no.

Malachite

From the same company Sobolev Cheese. Malachite with its soft, juicy ivory-colored flesh, complete absence of a crust (ripens in foil) is the same original French Roquefort. With the only difference - the first is made from the milk of Laconian sheep, the second - from the milk of Saanen, Alpine and La Mancha goats (such a replacement, by the way, is allowed by the regulations).

It costs more than the previous version, but this is due to the labor-intensive production process. Aging period - from 3 months. During this time, the product gains taste and that very memorable aroma.

Price - 3600 rubles per kg.

• taste, aroma, texture - everything is like the original Roquefort;
• first-class raw materials;
• despite the fact that it is made from goat's milk, the finished product does not have a sharp "goat" smell.

• no.

Gorgonzola Premium

From the Earth of Friends eco-farm near Moscow, which received gold at the Best Cheese of Russia competition. In the composition of cow's milk, enzymes, sourdough, salt - everything is as it should be.The smell is sharp, the taste is spicy. The color is creamy with a uniform moldy pattern, the texture is soft, moderately dense.

Shelf life - 6 months, but it is in vacuum packaging. After opening, if you can’t eat it right away, it’s better to wrap the remaining piece in parchment and store it in the refrigerator. Gorgonzola can be used on a cheese platter, served with grapes, as an appetizer with wine, or added to pizza in small quantities.

Price 1024 rubles. for 350 g, you can order with delivery in Moscow Region at https://zd.farm/

• as close as possible to the original gorgonzola, taste;
• fast delivery;
• environmentally friendly product.

• you won’t be able to buy in the regions - there is no delivery in the Russian Federation, which is normal for perishable products.

Stilton

From the Saratov company FROMAGELLE, who won the Grand Prix at the Russian competition. Produced from goat's milk, fungi of the species penicillium roqueforti are used to form mold. Aging - at least 12 weeks, during which a marbled pattern forms on the pulp.

Of the benefits - environmentally friendly raw materials purchased from local farms, adequate prices. Of the minuses - you can buy Stilton FROMAGELLE only in Saratov.

Price - 290 rubles per 100 g.

• original recipe;
• proper packaging - no cellophane, only special paper;
• you can order a tasting or gift set.

• to try, you need to go to Saratov.

Blue de Virga with mold 60%

Soft, with delicate creamy pulp with a slight bitterness. There are no complaints about the composition - there are no preservatives, dyes. This is also confirmed by the expiration date - unopened packaging can be stored for no more than 45 days.
Judging by the reviews, this brie is a good Russian replacement for the original. But on the condition that you are lucky to buy a fresh product. According to the manufacturer, the cheese continues to ripen already in the package and that its taste allegedly depends on the stage of ripening. As a result, someone comes across cheese with almost no mold, someone has a clearly spoiled product, albeit with normal expiration dates. The reason is either in plastic packaging, or in violation of storage conditions.

The price is 320 rubles per 125 g, you can buy it at any store of large grocery chains, from Auchan to Magnit, Metro and Perekrestok, or order it on the marketplace.

• compound;
• good taste;
• price-quality ratio.

• a kind of roulette game - lucky, unlucky (although, perhaps, everything depends not on the manufacturer, but on the storage conditions in a separate store).

With white mold

Anshante

From the trademark Kuban Zvezdochka of the Tbilisi (by the name of the village) butter and cheese plant, located in the Krasnodar Territory. Soft, creamy, with champignon aroma and taste, light sour cream sourness, this cheese is good on its own or as an appetizer for wine.

There are no complaints about the composition - only milk, sourdough, salt, noble mushrooms themselves. The taste is not much like the Camembert or Brie promised by the manufacturer, but not bad. And there are mushroom notes, and the aroma is creamy and pleasant. It’s definitely not an option for gourmets, but it’s quite good as a cheese for breakfast.

The price is 190 rubles per 100 g, it is sold in large grocery retailers, like Pyaterochka or in specialized IMs, at https://chesom.com/, for example.

• pleasant texture;
• noticeable mushroom aroma;
• mild taste, somewhat reminiscent of rustic thick sour cream.

• there are no special ones.

PRESIDENT Petit Brie

With nut-mushroom notes, salty pulp, without bitterness and foreign aftertastes. Soft, with a light crust. Good as an appetizer for intolerant wines or instead of dessert, if you add it with grapes. For production, normalized milk and surface microflora, fungi Penicillium Candidum, Geotrichum Candidum are used.

From the positive - the price-taste ratio, it won’t pull on a real brie, but the product is really tasty. Of the shortcomings - the quality is walking, sometimes a frankly disgusting product comes across.

Price - 229 rubles per pack of 125 g.

• composition without milk fat substitutes;
• nice soft texture
• no foreign odors.

• The quality is highly dependent on the batch.

SUPREME

From Belebeevsky Dairy Plant. It does not claim to be Camembert, but almost completely repeats the texture. There is also a white fluffy crust - it is tender, without a characteristic "basement" smell. The taste is very creamy, without bitterness, with barely perceptible mushroom notes. The cheese is not salty, rather fresh, so it goes well with honey, jam. The packaging deserves special attention - a piece is wrapped in paper and placed in a cardboard box.
In general, a good option for reasonable money. True, there are questions by the ripening period of 4 to 7 days. The fact is that the product continues to mature already in the package and what the buyer will eventually get - a dense product with a crispy crust or something tasty, but reminiscent of processed cheese in texture, is unknown.

Price - 267 rubles for 125 g.

• package;
• judging by the reviews, this is one of the best analogues of European Camembert;
• natural ingredients in the composition.

• no.

Gorodets Cheese Dairy Brie

Reminiscent of the original of medium maturity, with a salty crust and a clear mushroom flavor. The pulp is homogeneous, dense, but plastic, if you hold it longer in heat, the middle begins to thaw. The color depends on the ripening period. The "older" the product, the darker the flesh.

Produced from whole milk of Swiss cows (Swiss breed) according to the original old recipe, using thermophilic, mesophilic (live) microorganisms. There are no preservatives or flavor enhancers. This confirms the recommended shelf life after opening the package - no more than 12 hours.

Price - 250 rubles for a standard package.

• made from whole, not normalized milk - the fat content of the product is 50%;
• tastes like a farm product, which is rare;
• good at any stage of maturity - at least that's what users write in reviews.

• no.

PRESIDENT Brie Double Cream

Very soft and very fatty (72%), with a rich creamy taste, a slight mushroom aroma and a slightly salty crust. It is better to take fresh, there is no astringency in it, and the mold coating is soft, without a pungent odor.
It is better to leave the packaging with the expiration date on the shelf - the crust on such cheese becomes dense and peels off. The product acquires an unpleasant ammonia odor and a sour taste. The pulp loses its original uniform shade, goes in spots.

Price - 269 rubles.

• taste, texture;
• price-quality ratio;
• compound.

• it is difficult to guess the degree of maturity, it happens that it comes across spoiled.

Well, one more piece of advice - it’s better to start acquaintance with moldy varieties of cheese with farm products. They cost not to say that they are much more expensive, but their quality and taste are much better. Fortunately, there are small cheese dairies in almost every region.