Bleu des Causses Cheese vs Wagashi Cheese

Bleu des Causses Cheese is a semisoft; blue-veined cow-milk cheese from France, while Wagashi Cheese is compact and made from cow milk.

What Is Bleu des Causses Cheese?

Bleu des Causses is a French blue cheese made from whole cow's milk and ripened three to six months in the limestone caves of the Gorges du Tarn. Many people treat it as a gentler cow's milk counterpart to Roquefort.

What Is Wagashi Cheese?

Wagashi is a soft cow's milk cheese from northern Benin, sold in quantity in Parakou and across the West African savanna. It is mild in flavor and almost always cooked, usually in a sauce eaten with pounded yams or millet or maize pâte.

What's the Difference Between Bleu des Causses Cheese and Wagashi Cheese?

• Milk treatment: Bleu des Causses Cheese (Raw), Wagashi Cheese (Heated)
• Texture: Bleu des Causses Cheese (Semisoft; Blue-veined), Wagashi Cheese (Compact)
• Aging: Bleu des Causses Cheese (At least 70 days and not more than 190 days), Wagashi Cheese (Fresh or dried)
• Taste: Bleu des Causses Cheese (Sweet yet spicy, not too salty or bitter), Wagashi Cheese (mild)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Taste Comparison: Does Bleu des Causses Cheese Taste Like Wagashi Cheese?

Bleu des Causses Cheese reads as sweet yet spicy, not too salty or bitter, while Wagashi Cheese brings mild character. More specifically, Bleu des Causses Cheese shows sweet yet spicy, melting powerfully in the mouth, while Wagashi Cheese leans toward consumed fried or cooked in sauces, rarely fresh. Aging plays into this as well. Bleu des Causses Cheese at at least 70 days and not more than 190 days develops a different profile than Wagashi Cheese at fresh or dried.

Can You Substitute Bleu des Causses Cheese for Wagashi Cheese?

In most recipes, Bleu des Causses Cheese and Wagashi Cheese can be swapped with reasonable results. Both are cow-milk cheeses, so the base character carries over. Expect semisoft; blue-veined bite and body where the recipe calls for compact. Flavor-wise, Bleu des Causses Cheese reads as sweet yet spicy, not too salty or bitter while Wagashi Cheese brings mild notes.

Which Is Better, Bleu des Causses Cheese or Wagashi Cheese?

There's no single winner. It depends on your recipe and the profile you want. If you want a semisoft; blue-veined cheese, go with Bleu des Causses Cheese. For a compact profile, Wagashi Cheese is the better fit. Flavor-wise, Bleu des Causses Cheese suits recipes that want sweet yet spicy, not too salty or bitter notes, while Wagashi Cheese fits dishes calling for mild.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bleu des Causses Cheese the same as Wagashi Cheese?

No, they're distinct cheeses. Aging also differs: Bleu des Causses Cheese is typically aged at least 70 days and not more than 190 days, Wagashi Cheese fresh or dried.

Is Bleu des Causses Cheese similar to Wagashi Cheese?

Somewhat. They share a cow-milk base but diverge in texture and flavor.

Can I substitute Bleu des Causses Cheese for Wagashi Cheese?

You can, but expect a shift in bite and mouthfeel.

Does Bleu des Causses Cheese taste like Wagashi Cheese?

Bleu des Causses Cheese reads as sweet yet spicy, not too salty or bitter, while Wagashi Cheese is mild.

What is Bleu des Causses Cheese made of?

Bleu des Causses Cheese is made from cow milk (raw). It's typically aged at least 70 days and not more than 190 days. It originates in France.

What is Wagashi Cheese made of?

Wagashi Cheese is made from cow milk (heated), using calotropis procera latex rennet. It's typically aged fresh or dried.

Which should I choose, Bleu des Causses Cheese or Wagashi Cheese?

It depends on the dish. The texture difference is the biggest practical tell. Bleu des Causses Cheese is semisoft; blue-veined, while Wagashi Cheese is compact.