Cheeses

[surfgolden]

Are you run of the mill grocery store hard cheddar, swiss, colby, monterey jack and colby jack cheeses gluten free? What about old fashioned hoop cheddar cheese? I understand that I need to avoid those cheeses described as veiny.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[psawyer]

All of the cheeses you mention are inherently gluten-free and therefore safe.

So-called veined cheeses have been the topic of considerable discussion. The alleged risk is that the mold may have been started on gluten-containing material (bread) and may be unsafe. In most cases, the mold has never been anywhere anything with gluten, but rather has been started on other material. Then, there is the suggestion that even if the original mold culture was started on wheat bread, that the there is no gluten present in the mold itself, and therefore none in the final cheese product. I don't eat moldy cheese, but that is a matter of my personal taste, not a fear of gluten.

[hez]

If you really want a blue cheese read the label. Some cheese start with bread others use something synthetic I believe. Either way it will declare wheat in the US because of the labeling law. I was able to find several blue cheeses that did not list wheat.

Hez