Aldi is a bit of a cult classic in the grocery world. The discount German supermarket chain has a faithful legion of ride-or-dies who will defend it to their last breath.
Like most discount grocers, Aldi probably doesn’t have everything on your list. But the items it does have tend to be significantly cheaper than most mainstream supermarkets. Plus, as all true fans of Aldi know, you’re always going to find something that you didn’t know you needed. And it’s probably the chocolate.
That doesn’t mean that everything at Aldi is a cut above. It is a discount store, after all, so some things might not be as fresh as you find elsewhere. One Aldi shopper recently learned that lesson in the cheese aisle.
Omar (@channelomar) posted a 6-second TikTok of him picking up the provolone. Even at a glance, you can tell something isn’t right about the color. The provolone is streaked with what appears to be green-blue mold.
“They got the tie-dye provolone at Aldi’s,” Omar jests. “Yummy. I’m taking this.”
His TikTok has provided fodder for legions of jokes. It’s also inspired some passionate Aldi detractors to air their dislike for the Deutsch supermarket.
Aldi’s public relations firm did not respond to an email sent Tuesday morning.
Is it safe to eat moldy cheese?
Discovering your beloved Irish cheddar or Wisconsin colby has sprouted an unwelcome guest in the cheese drawer is a sad thing indeed. Moldy cheese isn’t like other foods, however. It’s usually safe to simply hack off the mold and eat away.
In fact, as cheese expert Rich Morillo told Bon Appetit, “In a lot of ways, cheese is mold.”
There are a few rare exceptions. For example, as Morillo explained, you shouldn’t eat cheese that has dark black-gray mold. This mold, Aspergillus niger, is deemed safe to consume but can, in rare cases, make you sick.
How much mold penetrates cheese depends on the type. Harder cheeses like aged cheddar aren’t as susceptible to its spread as softer cheeses like queso oaxaca.
The long and short of it is that if the spirit moves you, chop off the mold and take a bite.
Cheese jokes and Aldi hate
Omar’s post had people bringing their own moldy cheese barbs to the comments section.
One person joked that the “tie dye provolone” was blueberry flavored, while another laughed, “I couldn’t find it at my Aldi. I think it’s limited edition.” A third quipped, “Ooooh the bleu provolone.”
Yet another wrote, “Dang my Aldi sold out of the tie dye edition.”
Aldi haters finally had their day as well.
“Ooohhh those Aldi defenders are not gonna be happy about this one,” said one.
“And they still gonna defend this place like it’s the second coming of Christ,” a second seethed.
“I hate Aldi for this reason,” confessed a third.
Aldi defenders weren’t mad at the haters, though.
“The Aldi hate in here shows me how impressionable all y’all are,” one wrote.
Omar responded to someone who griped about the quality of items at the store: “Yea you gotta inspect everything at Aldi, but I still love shopping here lol.”
He didn’t respond to direct messages sent via TikTok and Instagram.
@channelomar ♬ original sound – Omar
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