Gorgonzola (cheese)
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| Country of origin | Italy | |||
| Region, town | Gorgonzola | |||
| Source of milk | Cow | |||
| Pasteurised | Yes | |||
| Texture | soft, crumbly | |||
| Aging time | 3-4 months | |||
| Certification | DOC in Italy; | |||
Gorgonzola is a blue-headed Italian cheese, made from unskimmed cow's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. It has been made since the early Middle Ages, but only became marbled with greenish-blue mold in the eleventh century. It is frequently used in Italian cooking.
Gorgonzola is made in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy from whole pasteurized cows milk to which is added the bacteria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus along with spores of the mold Penicillium glaucum. Recently Penicillium roqueforti has begun being used to make Gorgonzola, besides its use in Roquefort cheese. After the whey is removed, it is aged at low temperatures. During the aging process, metal rods are inserted into the cheese. This creates air channels which allows the mold spores to germinate and create the characteristic veining. Gorgonzola is typically aged for three to four months. The length of the aging process determines the consistency of the cheese. A firm Gorgonzola is aged longer than creamy Gorgonzola. It is usually sold wrapped in foil.
It is usually eaten as a dessert cheese, but there are some local culinary specialities. It may be melted into a risotto in the final stage of cooking, for instance; another fairly traditional dish sees Gorgonzola served alongside Polenta. Because of its savoury flavor, it is often used by vegetarians as a topping on pizza.
Within the European Union, Gorgonzola has been given a Protected Designation of Origin status. In Italy, Gorgonzola is one of only three Italian cheeses that qualifies to be classified as DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), the other two being Toma and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Template:Citation needed.
Today by law the zone of production includes only a defined area. What was once the village of Gorgonzola, not far from Milan, is being swallowed up in suburbia. Most Gorgonzola is actually produced in Novara, but the DOC zone also includes the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Cuneo, Milan, Pavia, and Vercelli, as well as the zone of Casale Monferrato.
See also
| Asiago · Basket · Bel Paese · Bocconcini · Bra · Brös · Burrata · Caciocavallo · Caciotta · Caprino · Casciotta d'Urbino · Castelrosso · Casu marzu · Crescenza · Crucolo · Dolcelatte · Fontina · Gorgonzola · Grana (Padano) · Liptauer · Mascarpone · Monte Veronese · Morlacco · Mozzarella (di Bufala Campana) · Parmigiano-Reggiano · Pasta filata · Pecorino (Romano, Sardo, Siciliano) · Piave · Provolone · Ricotta · Robiola · Romano · Scamorza · Sottocenere al tartufo · Stracchino · Stracciatella di Bufala · Taleggio · Toma |