Have you ever asked yourself “Can I eat cheese if it has a bit of mould on it?” Or “Will I look less of an expert if I cut off the crust of the cheese in front of my friends or someone I want to impress?” The short answer is no. However, if your wish is to impress with your cheese knowledge, keep reading this post.

If roquefort were lethal, we would already have lost half of the French population. If mould has grown on a cheese that doesn’t normally have it, such as a hard type of cheese, remove it from the surface with a knife and observe where it has spread in order to remove the affected part as well as its surroundings. What would be more worrying is if a cheese that was sold to you as artisan doesn’t develop mould over time. 

Another question we often hear is if the crust of the cheese can be eaten or not. The short and long answer to this question is: if your cheese has a natural crust, yes. Whether or not you enjoy it is a different conversation, but the cheese crust is… (drum roll): cheese! The crust is merely the external part of the cheese that has dried out, to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the length of maturation. On this external part, microorganisms grow and directly or indirectly give the cheese its nuances. These microorganisms are mainly the moulds that naturally grow and inoculate during the process. Cheeses such as brie or camembert have a crust covered with mould. If this couldn’t be eaten, we would have lost the other half of the French population.  

The crust that should not be eaten, however, is the one on industrial cheeses. Even if they are produced according to the strictest food regulations, they still contain paraffin or colorants. Another important aspect to consider before deciding whether or not to eat the crust is knowing where this crust has previously been. If you buy or receive a cheese directly from the farmer, it isn’t the same as if this cheese had been kept on a shop counter or other surface. That being said, this decision can vary by individual based on their own personal standards. 

What exactly is mould anyway?

Mould consists of filamentous fungi that grow in warm and moist environments. The spores in which they spread allow them to survive in unfavourable conditions. These spores are present in the environment and, when they find favourable conditions, initiate the formation of mold. The Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium camemberti molds are responsible for the two cheeses named after them. The Geotrichum candidum mold is partly responsible for the white crust on some cheeses such as camembert. 

I ordered a natural cheese and it arrived covered with mould after a few days in transit, why?

During the aging process, this cheese is brushed as to homogeneously spread the mold formation and to reduce its amount. Once the cheese has left its cave and is on its way to your home, no one is brushing it so it is normal that it arrives a little scruffy. At this point, you may just brush it slightly with a cloth to remove the excess mold and prepare to enjoy it. 

In general, it is recommended to consume the mould on cheeses that naturally have it in their composition, and to remove it from cheeses that don’t. In other words: when it comes to roquefort, you may eat everything with the exception of the label, but on a manchego cheese, it is ideal to cut off the mould before enjoying it. In case of any reservation, it is better to remove the affected part as some moulds can give the cheese a bad taste and give some a bad evening.