| Mold has been around for millions of years | | | | steamed rice and provide the enzymes that are |
| and while certain varieties of it can be | | | | needed for making the sugar the yeast needs |
| quite harmful to our health, there are other | | | | to grow. The mold has an immensely important |
| varieties that have been used by human beings | | | | role in the creation of sake and any brewer |
| for years in order to improve our quality of | | | | proud of his drink is sensitive about its |
| life in one way or another. It has been used | | | | handling. Depending upon the flavor wanted |
| in foods, medicines, and to help decompose | | | | in the sake, the koji creation process can be |
| organic matter. | | | | affected by different temperatures, the kind |
| | | | of rice used, the mineral content of the |
| Many different kinds of foods have been made | | | | water, and other factors seriously affect the |
| with mold over the years, one of the most | | | | final product. |
| famous of which is cheese. Blue cheese was | | | | |
| invented quite by accident a long time ago | | | | Penicillin was created by Alexander Fleming |
| when mold had started to grow in a block of | | | | back in the early 1900s by accident and it |
| cheese that had been left to age. It is | | | | has been used by countries worldwide since |
| salty, crumbly and is a somewhat acquired | | | | then in order to help the human body fight |
| taste, if the blue mold veins of the cheese | | | | all kinds of infections. While some people |
| do not stop you from tasting it in the first | | | | have been known to be allergic to penicillin, |
| place. Roquefort and gorgonzola are also | | | | allergic reactions are not so common as to |
| made with molds. The culturing of just the | | | | stop doctors from prescribing it. |
| right kind of mold to make these blue cheeses | | | | |
| has become a science over the years and these | | | | Aside from the uses that human beings have |
| moldy cheeses are often referred to as the | | | | made of mold, its natural role is to |
| kings of cheese. | | | | decompose dead organic matter in its natural |
| | | | environment. This is one reason that it |
| Aspergillius oryzae or koji-kin, as it is | | | | often finds its way into our homes, because |
| known in Japan, has been used for centuries | | | | our homes tend to be made of wood and |
| to create the Japanese alcoholic drink of | | | | sheetrock that has paper on it. This is what |
| sake. Without the magical koji, they say, | | | | mold feeds on and until we start making our |
| there is no sake. Sake is not the only type | | | | homes out of synthetic materials, we will |
| of drink that uses the koji mold as an | | | | probably have a hard time keeping mold out of |
| ingredient. It is sprinkled on top of | | | | them. |