Gorgonzola Cheese

Gorgonzola is a buttery, soft, Italian blue cheese most commonly made from cow’s milk. When made from goat’s milk the result is more firm, crumbly and salty. This aromatic and savory cheese originates from the small town of Gorgonzola, near Milan. The first production of Gorgonzola reportedly took place there in AD 879, but the cheese didn’t acquire its greenish-blue marbling or veining until the 11th and 12th centuries. The town of Gorgonzola’s claim to origin of the cheese is disputed by other localities, but the name remains.

Production of Gorgonzola today continues to come predominantly from the northern regions of Piemont and Lombardy. Gorgonzola has Protected Geographical Status under Italian law and is termed DOC. Therefore, it can only be produced in the provinces of Novara, Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Cuneo, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Pavia, Varese, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vercelli, and a number of communities in the province of Alessandria.

The production process begins by adding starter bacteria along with spores of Penicillium Glaucum mold to the cow’s milk. Spores from Penicillium Roqueforti, used in Roquefort cheese, may also be used. The whey, or milk plasma, is then removed after curdling and the remainder is aged at low temperatures. Metal rods are rapidly inserted and removed during the course of aging. This creates air paths that induce the mold spores to grow into hyphae, structures of fungi, causing the characteristic veining. Gorgonzola is aged in this manner for two to four months. The length of the aging process determines the consistency of the cheese, which gets firmer as it ripens.

Young Gorgonzola is relatively mild, creamy and sweet. As it ages, it becomes much stronger, bitterer and almost spicy. Gorgonzola is a popular table cheese, which is often served with grapes and nuts. It is also a common ingredient in preparing sauces, stuffings, and egg dishes. When adding Gorgonzola to pasta it usually goes with short pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, or sedani, not with spaghetti or linguine. Because of its distinctive flavor, Gorgonzola is frequently offered as pizza topping. Combined with three other soft cheeses it is an ingredient of a typical pizza served in Italy called pizza ai quattro formaggi, or four cheese pizza. Whether melted into a risotto in the final stage of cooking or served alongside polenta, Gorgonzola adds that extra bite.

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The Food and Cuisine of Lombardy (Lombardia)