Blue cheese is commonly thought to have been invented by accident. The story goes that a hapless cheesemaker abandoned a half-eaten hunk of rye in the cheese caves. He returned several weeks later to find that the mold covering the bread had transplanted itself onto the cheese. The daring pioneer tasted the cheese and instead of tossing it, blue cheese was born. The distinctive flavor and pattern of blue cheese is a byproduct of the production method. As the molds flower and turn blue, the flavors begin to sparkle. Whole cheeses are pierced to allow air to penetrate the cheese allowing for internal "blue-ing," while some blue cheeses flower externally.
