Usually when we think of moldy foods, we picture a month-old loaf of bread forgotten in the back of a refrigerator. But some moldy foods can be quite delicious. For instance, many cheeses owe their sharp flavor to molds. The making of any cheese is essentially a process of limited, controlled spoilage.
通常，我們一想到發霉的食物時，腦海中會浮現出一條遺忘在冰箱后面一個月的面包的畫面。然而有些發霉的食物是相當美味的。例如，許多奶酪發霉之后就有一種獨特的風味。任何奶酪的制作工藝實際就是一種有限的，可控制的發酵過程。
In effect, a mold partly digests, or rots the cheese. The molds used to ripen cheese are not the molds that would naturally develop on the cheese over time, but are specially-produced molds. During the process of aging any mold-ripened cheese, fats and proteins are broken down into strong smelling molecules. These molecules give mold-ripened cheese its particularly strong odor and taste. A bluish-green mold helps ripen blue cheese, giving it its name, aroma and color.
實際上，霉菌會一定程度上吞噬或者腐蝕著奶酪。把奶酪催熟的霉菌并不是奶酪自然生長一段時間所產生的，而是一種特制的霉菌。在霉菌催熟奶酪的過程中，脂肪和蛋白質經分解釋放強烈氣味的分子。這些分子使催熟的奶酪具有特殊而又強烈的氣味與芬芳，而藍青色的斑點霉菌則從外觀上給予藍色熟奶酪以顏色，氣味和名稱。
In order to age blue cheese, a cheese maker injects the mold into the cheese. Cheeses like blue cheese that are ripened from within are frequently washed or brushed to remove undesirable microorganisms which might interfere with the activity of the ripening mold inside. While blue cheese is mold-ripened from the inside, soft, pungent cheeses like Camembert and Brie are ripened from the outside with a coat of a white mold whose enzymes slowly penetrate the cheese and transform it from a chalky, bland solid, into the custard-like, creamy treat cheese fanciers love.
為催熟藍色奶酪，奶酪專家會向奶酪里添加催熟霉菌。藍色奶酪等催熟奶酪則通過頻繁洗刷，去除干擾催熟霉菌活動的多余微生物。與藍色奶酪從里向外催熟的原理不同，向來以柔軟、芳香著稱的法國卡曼波特奶酪和布里白奶酪都是由外及里催熟的，表面的一層白霉菌會慢慢的將其中的化學酶滲入奶酪，并把白色無味的固體轉變成人們喜愛的蛋糊乳狀。
Of course, eating most moldy foods is not a good idea, but eating cheese that has ripened due to a special molding process can be a delectable experience.
當然，吃很多發霉的食物不是什么好事，但是吃那些在特殊霉變過程中變熟的奶酪會是一個很享受的體驗。
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