the original food, but not beyond the point of edibility In cheese, animal fats and proteins are broken down into highly odorous molecules Many of the same molecules are also produced during uncontrolled spoilage, as well as by microbial activity in the digestive tract and on moist, warm, sheltered areas of human skin An aversion to the odor of decay has the obvious biological value of steering us away from possible food poisoning, so it’s no wonder that an animal food that gives off whiffs of shoes and soil and the stable takes some getting used to Once acquired, however, the taste for partial spoilage can become a passion, an embrace of the earthy side of life that expresses itself best in paradoxes The French call a particular plant fungus the pourriture noble, or “noble rot,” for its influence on the character of certain wines, and the Surrealist poet Leon-Paul Fargue is said to have honored Camembert cheese with the title les pieds de Dieu — the feet of God The Molds, Especially Penicillium Molds are microbes that require oxygen to grow, can tolerate drier conditions than bacteria, and produce powerful protein- and fat- digesting enzymes that improve the texture and flavor of certain cheeses Molds readily develop on the rind of almost any cheese that is not regularly wiped to prevent it The French St.Nectaire develops a surface as variegated as lichen-covered rocks in the fields, with spots of bright yellow or orange standing out from a complex, muted background Some cheeses are gardened to allow a diverse flora to develop, while others are seeded with one particular desired mold The standard garden variety molds come from the large and various genus Penicillium, which also gave us the antibiotic penicillin ... tolerate drier conditions than bacteria, and produce powerful protein- and fat- digesting enzymes that improve the texture and flavor of certain cheeses Molds readily develop on the rind of almost any cheese that is not... are gardened to allow a diverse flora to develop, while others are seeded with one particular desired mold The standard garden variety molds come from the large and various genus Penicillium, which also gave us the antibiotic penicillin...Surrealist poet Leon-Paul Fargue is said to have honored Camembert cheese with the title les pieds de Dieu — the feet of God The Molds, Especially Penicillium Molds are