Maytag Blue

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About Maytag Blue
Wikipedia Article About Maytag Blue on Wikipedia

Maytag is a blue cheese produced on the Maytag Dairy Farms outside of Newton, Iowa (the home of the Maytag Corporation). In 1941, Iowa State University developed a new process for making blue cheese from pasteurized milk (instead of traditional sheep's milk). Production of the cheese was started by Frederick L. Maytag II and Robert Maytag, grandsons of the founder of the Maytag appliance company, Frederick L. Maytag. The cheese is aged in specially designed caves. The company still uses the same time-consuming method of hand making cheese, using milk from local dairy farms.

A variety of blue cheese that comes from the state of Iowa in the U.S. It is a traditional farmhouse cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk. After the cheese is made it is placed in caves for aging where it ripens for 6 months before being sold. During the aging, the veins of edible blue and/or green mold develop throughout the cheese. The molds produce the characteristic sharp and tangy flavor of the cheese, which tastes slightly nutty and somewhat spicy from the streaks of mold. Maytag Blue has a dense texture that is crumbly, but much creamier than other varieties. It is firm enough to be cut but it can also be spread on crackers and into vegetables, such as celery stalks. It is also a good cheese for dips, sauces and salad dressings.