Naturally, any obviously inedible rinds should not be eaten -- if your cheese is wrapped in wax, cloth, or bark, discard that. Bloomy rinds are generally safe as long as the cheese hasn't spoiled.

The cheese was examined by a Food Inspector and was found to contain the poisonous alkaloid tyrotoxicon that is often found in milk. The Inspector also discovered that the rind had been washed ...

For a firm washed-rind cheese like Gruyère ... eat the rinds of most cheeses — just avoid any that are coated in wax or cloth. Of course, if you still don’t want to eat the rind on a stinky ...

The distinctive smells they give off come from the cheeses’ rinds—specifically, the multitude of microbes blooming on the crumbly or waxy surface of the creamy curd. “The cheese rind microbiome lets ...

Partly oven-dried examples may have a golden rind, which darkens to yellow for full-dried cheeses. Aged Goudas sometimes have a black wax coating.