You’ve been patiently waiting for this moment. You brought home a beautiful piece of Gruyère and it’s been in the fridge for two days. You know your cheese commandments and will allow it to get to room temperature before serving. Shock horror! After 30 minutes, it’s covered in droplets of moisture. Read on to find out why your cheese is sweating at room temperature.
Just like humans sweat when exposed to hot sun, cheese responds to higher temperatures in the same way. Those droplets that suddenly appear on cheese are actually melting butterfat, which will often liquefy when cheese goes through a temperature change.
However, those affected by the food sweats generally need not fear. The cheese sweats in particular are caused by volatile organic compounds in the food (technical, eh!) which are released as your body digests … and, well, they’ve got to find a way out! The severity of the sweats is dictated by a number of factors including how much of the offending cheese you’ve eaten, as well as your inherited genes and even how effective the enzymes in your saliva are at breaking down food. In very rare cases, cheese sweats can be linked to nerve damage in the face or even diabetes, but thankfully this is uncommon.
So, are the cheese sweats really a thing? In a word, yes! However, despite the minor unpleasantness some excess cheese-related perspiration can cause, I hope that all you cheese lovers out there will continue to indulge in a touch of Taleggio or a morsel of mozzarella – in my opinion, a good cheese is worth every sweaty bite!
Unfortunate side-effects of too much boozing aside, lovers of cheese in all its forms will also be acquainted with the cheese sweats, that pesky excess facial perspiration which unfortunately sometimes accompanies the consumption of our favourite dairy product. It can happen to anyone, at any time, with any cheese, from sharp cheddars to pungent blue cheese and creamy Camembert. Some people are particularly susceptible to this slightly unfortunate phenomenon and can even experience tingling sensations and flushing in their face and neck after tucking into a cheese board.
We all know that cheese and wine are the best of friends … and that both can have adverse effects on our bodies from time to time! I’m sure you’re all familiar with our old enemy, the hangover – dehydration, a banging headache, a desperate craving for deep-fried food, not to mention my personal demon, crushing beer fear (oh my GOD, did I really say/do that?) Maybe Shiraz isn’t my best friend after all…
But what really causes the cheese sweats? Well, the first thing to note is that these sweats aren’t just limited to cheese – they can be caused by a wide range of foods from spicy curry to red meat (ever finished a giant steak and felt like you’ve just run a marathon!?) and are known in serious scientific terms as gustatory sweating. Although most commonly caused when eating, gustatory sweating can also occur when talking or even thinking about food, with cheese tending to cause the most powerful reaction. Here at the Winerist office, editor Helena is particularly affected by a cheeky Camembert, whilst I tend to avoid blue cheese at all costs!
What is the “sweat” on my cheese?
There are two main reasons why your cheese might sweat. Let’s have a look at the science behind each one.
What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Cheese!
FAQ
What causes the cheese sweats?
Is sweaty cheese OK?
How do you stop cheese from sweating?
Why does my cheese feel wet?
Does Cheese make you sweat?
This is because cheese has something in it that acts a bit like adrenaline, and the key one is called tyromine. I wonder whether when you eat a bit of cheese, it stimulates the part of the nervous system that adrenaline would usually stimulate, and thus causes sweating.
What is the cause of excess sweating when coming out of a dehydrated state?
Fluid intake (ingestion or even injection) ameliorates the dehydration and eliminates, at least partially, the inhibition of the thermoregulatory responses; so there are phenomena called ‘drinking induced thermoregulatory responses.
Can you eat sweaty cheese?
Sweaty cheese is safe to eat most of the time. However, you need to be careful. If you leave cheese long enough to sweat and dry, parts of it will become moldy, especially if it’s partly covered with cling film or a wrapper. If you don’t see mold or weird colored spots on your cheese you can eat it without the risk of getting sick.
Does aged cheese make you sweat?
Aged cheese is especially prone to sweating, no matter the milk used. Examples are Gouda (especially aged), Emmental, Parmesan, Cheddar, Provolone, Edam, to name a few. If you’re looking for the ones that are least like to sweat, you should go for soft cheese, or fresh cheese.