Aura is a type of blue cheese

Blue cheese

Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or...

 produced in Äänekoski

Äänekoski

Äänekoski is a town and municipality of Finland.-Geography:It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. It is neighboured by Kannonkoski, Konnevesi, Laukaa, Saarijärvi, Uurainen, Vesanto and Viitasaari. The town has a population of and covers an area...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, by the Finnish dairy company Valio

Valio

Valio Ltd is one of the biggest companies in Finland and mostly produces dairy products such as cheese, powdered ingredients, butter, yogurt and milk. Valio is Finland's biggest milk processor, producing 86% of Finland's milk....

. Aura is made of cow's milk and takes its name from the Aura River

Aura River

The Aura River is a river in south-western Finland. Its sources are in the town of Oripää, and it flows through Pöytyä, Aura and Lieto before discharging into the Archipelago Sea in the middle of the city of Turku. The total length of the river is about , and it contains eleven rapids, the biggest...

, which runs through the city of Turku

Turku

Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

. The cheese is available in two varieties. The regular variety is aged

Cheese ripening

Cheese ripening or alternatively cheese maturation is a process in cheesemaking. It is responsible for the distinct flavour of cheese, and through the modification of "ripening agents", determines the features that define many different varieties of cheeses, such as taste, texture, and body...

 for six weeks, whereas the stronger 'Aura Gold' variety is aged for 12 weeks. It is marketed in the United States under the name Midnight Blue by Valio's import company, Finlandia Cheese.