Have you ever felt a tingling sensation in your mouth when eating cheese? If you are like me, you might have experienced this when eating matured raw milk cheeses like Gruyère, Comté, Gouda or Parmigiano Reggiano. Read on to find out why some cheeses make your mouth tingle.
SEE ALSO: What is milk protein intolerance and is it serious? →
Let’s talk about histamine
Chances are that you are familiar with histamine. In fact, histamine is produced in your body when your immune system is working to defend you against a potential harmful substance (allergen).
It manifests itself with a range of symptoms which can include a skin rash, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing and, in more severe cases, shortness of breath.
But, as you probably know, there are medications than can suppress histamine levels in your body when you’re having such a reaction. They are aptly named anti-histamines.
What does histamine have to do with cheese?
One other way that histamine can be produced is by the breakdown of an amino acid called histidine. And, guess what? Histidine is present in raw milk. Furthermore, a harmless bacteria that is often present in long-matured cheeses (Lactobacillus buchnerii) triggers the conversion of histidine into histamine.
Now, I want to stress that there is no need to be alarmed here. Because the levels of histamine are so low that most people won’t even detect it.
How much histamine is in cheese?
To give you some examples, the amount of histamine in Swiss pressed cooked cheeses (e.g. Gruyère and l’Etivaz) range from 15 to 1000 ppm (parts per million).
In blue cheese, it can range from 22 to 64 ppm and, in pressed uncooked washed rind cheeses (e.g. Raclette), 15 to 54 ppm.
For a bit of perspective, levels below 50 ppm are largely undetectable by most people. On the other hand, levels above 100 ppm can result in a localised tingling sensation in the mouth for more sensitive people.
What does that mean for your health?
Even histamine levels close to 1000 ppm have not been shown to be harmful. But, if you are one of those sensitive people, taking an anti-histamine before eating your favourite Swiss cheese may reduce the intensity of the reaction in your mouth.
If you have experienced any headaches, vomiting and/or cramping after eating cheese, you should consult your doctor before trying to eat that same cheese again.
On a side note, prolonged exposure to histamine can also develop a skin rash in some people. Ever heard of Parm rash? Ask your cheesemonger about it the next time you’re out to buy cheese.
