Kamil Perry
Gorgonzola is a pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk. It is believed to have originated in the Lombardian town of Gorgonzola, Milan, in the 9th century. The name Gorgonzola is now controlled under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) criteria. Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized cow's milk, salt, rennet, penicillium, enzymes, and yeast. The cheese is then stored in a ripening room, where it is punched with steel needles to create holes that promote the development of its distinctive blue-green veining.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Pasteurization of milk | Yes |
| Milk type | Cow's milk, or a combination of cow's and sheep's milk |
| Additives | No |
| Origin | Gorgonzola, Milan, Italy |
| Texture | Fudgy and semi-soft |
| Aging time | 3-6 months |
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What You'll Learn
Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized cow's milk
Gorgonzola is a pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk. It is believed that the cheese was first created in the 9th century. The name Gorgonzola is now controlled under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) criteria. Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized cow's milk.
Gorgonzola is available in two primary variations: Dolce, which has a delicate flavour and a buttery consistency, and Piccante, which has a more pungent flavour and a firm, crumbly texture. Both can be quite salty, with a "bite" from their blue veining. More recently, a variation has been widely marketed, featuring a layered block that alternates the more assertive Gorgonzola with the more delicate Mascarpone, known as Gorgonzola e Mascarpone.
Gorgonzola is an uncooked, straw-white cheese whose green streaks are due to the process of marbling, or the formation of mould. It is therefore creamy and soft with a distinctive flavour—slightly spicy in the mild type, and stronger in the spicy type, whose paste is more herbaceous, firm, and crumbly. To enjoy Gorgonzola's creaminess to the fullest, it is best to remove it from the refrigerator at least half an hour before consuming. Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized cow's milk.
Gorgonzola is mainly produced in the northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. The cheese is aged at low temperatures. During the ageing process, metal rods are quickly inserted and removed, creating air channels that allow mould spores to grow and cause the cheese's characteristic veining. Gorgonzola is typically aged for three to four months. Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized cow's milk.
Gorgonzola is then stored in the first ripening room at a temperature of 3–5 °C. It is subject to punching with steel needles; these holes in the cheese paste promote the development of a blue-green veining, also known as marbling, due to the natural growth of moulds favoured by oxygen entering the holes. The wheel is then salted again on the rind. Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized cow's milk.
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It is aged for 3-6 months
Gorgonzola cheese is aged for 3 to 6 months. More specifically, Gorgonzola Dolce is aged for a minimum of 50 days and a maximum of 150 days, while Gorgonzola Piccante is aged for a minimum of 80 days and a maximum of 270 days. The cheese is stored in a warm room, and the length of time it remains there depends on the variety, with the sweet variety requiring 2 to 5 days and the piccante variety requiring 6 to 7 days.
Gorgonzola is a blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk, and it is believed to have been created in the 9th century. The cheese takes its name from the Lombardian town of Gorgonzola, Milan, where it originated. The town celebrates an annual September festival dedicated to the cheese, called the Sagra Nazionale del Gorgonzola.
The process of making Gorgonzola involves adding starter microbes and spores of the mould Penicillium glaucum to whole cow's milk. The milk is then pasteurized and transferred to curdling tanks or vats, where it is incubated with a mixture of starter, penicillium roqueforti, selected yeasts, and calf rennet. After the whey is removed, the curd is diced and poured into stainless steel moulds. The Gorgonzola is then dry salted and placed in a warm room at a temperature of about 21° C. Twenty-four hours later, it undergoes a second phase of salting.
The ageing process involves inserting and removing metal rods to create air channels that allow mould spores to grow and cause the cheese's characteristic veining. Gorgonzola is typically aged at low temperatures, and the length of time it is aged affects its texture and flavour. The longer the cheese is aged, the firmer and more crumbly it becomes, and the stronger its flavour.
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It has a fudgy and semi-soft texture
Gorgonzola is a pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk. It is believed to have originated in the Lombardian town of Gorgonzola, Milan, in the 9th century. The name Gorgonzola is now controlled under the criteria of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
Gorgonzola is available in two primary variations: Dolce, which has a more delicate flavour and buttery consistency, and Piccante, which has a more pungent flavour and a firm, crumbly texture. The Dolce variety is aged for a minimum of 50 days and a maximum of 150 days, while the Piccante variety is aged for a minimum of 80 days and a maximum of 270 days.
Gorgonzola has a fudgy and semi-soft texture. It is aged at low temperatures, and during the ageing process, metal rods are quickly inserted and removed, creating air channels that allow mould spores to grow and cause the cheese's characteristic veining. This process is known as marbling, and it gives Gorgonzola its distinctive greenish-blue colour. The Piccante variety is aged for a longer period of time, resulting in a firmer texture compared to the Dolce variety.
Gorgonzola is typically made with pasteurized cow's milk, although some sources mention that it can also be made with unpasteurized milk. The pasteurization of the milk is an important step in the cheese-making process, as it helps to ensure the safety and quality of the final product. The milk is then transferred to curdling tanks or vats, where it is incubated with a mixture of starter, penicillium roqueforti, selected yeasts, and calf rennet.
Gorgonzola is a versatile cheese that can be enjoyed in many ways. It can be crumbled on a salad, spread on bread, melted into pasta, or even paired with chocolate for a simple dessert. Its complex flavours and aromas make it a favourite among cheese connoisseurs.
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It is blue/green in colour
Gorgonzola cheese is famous for its pungent flavour and blue/green veins. The blue-green colour is due to the process of marbling, which is the formation of mould. The mould most commonly presents as blue or green, but can also be white, yellow, or grey. The mould grows inside the cheese as it ages, creating the characteristic sharp piquancy throughout the cheese.
The mould forms as the cheese is stored in the first ripening room at a temperature of 3-5°C. Steel needles punch holes in the cheese paste, promoting the development of the blue-green veining. This occurs as oxygen enters the holes, favouring the natural growth of mould. The cheese is then salted again on the rind.
The blue-green veins of Gorgonzola are also the result of the cheese's ageing process. Metal rods are quickly inserted and removed, creating air channels that allow the mould spores to grow and cause the cheese's distinctive veining. Gorgonzola is typically aged for three to four months, although some varieties are aged for a minimum of 50 days and a maximum of 150 or 270 days.
The colour of Gorgonzola cheese is so distinctive that it is named after the Lombardian town of Gorgonzola, Milan, where the cheese originated. The town celebrates an annual September festival called the Sagra Nazionale del Gorgonzola.
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It is made in the Northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy
Gorgonzola is a pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk. It is believed to have originated in the 9th century in the town of Gorgonzola, Milan, in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy. The town is one of the original production centres of the cheese and celebrates an annual September festival dedicated to it, called the Sagra Nazionale del Gorgonzola.
The cheese is also produced in the region of Piedmont, and both the Pavese and Novarese areas joined Milan and Comasco in the production of Gorgonzola. The Lombardy legend of Gorgonzola's origin involves a cheese maker adding new fresh curds to a vat and leaving it open all night. He then attempted to fix his mistake by adding more fresh curds to the vat and, a few months later, discovered a new bluish mould had grown on the cheese. This was also the first discovery of the process of erborinatura, the creation of mould.
Gorgonzola is made with pasteurized milk from stables located in the area of origin, with added milk enzymes and selected moulds that impart the characteristic veins. The pasteurization of the milk used in the cheese-making process, along with the implementation of rigorously controlled health and safety standards, ensures that the cheese is free of additives and preservatives.
The length of the ageing process determines the consistency of the cheese, which gets firmer as it ripens. Gorgonzola has two primary variations: Dolce, with a more delicate flavour and buttery consistency, and Piccante, with a more pungent flavour and firm, crumbly texture. Gorgonzola Dolce is matured for a minimum of 50 days and a maximum of 150 days, while Gorgonzola Piccante is matured for a minimum of 80 days and a maximum of 270 days.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Gorgonzola cheese is made with pasteurized cow's milk.
Gorgonzola is a pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk. It is available in two primary variations: Dolce, which has a delicate flavor and buttery consistency, and Piccante, which has a more pungent flavor and a firm, crumbly texture.
Gorgonzola is made by adding new fresh curds to a vat of milk, which is then left open. The curds are then mixed with a starter, penicillium roqueforti, selected yeasts, and calf rennet. The mixture is then transferred to curdling tanks or vats where it is incubated and turned into curd. The whey is removed, and the curd is diced and poured into stainless steel molds. The Gorgonzola is then salted and placed in a warm room for 24 hours.
