Gorgonzola

Appearance & taste

A wheel of Gorgonzola is cylindrical, with a flat top and bottom and a straight side. It measures 20 to 32 cm in diameter and is at least 13 cm high. The rind is grey and/or pinkish and not edible. The paste is uncooked, compact and white to straw-yellow; green-blue or grey-blue mould veins run through it.

The specification distinguishes three types by weight, taste and ripening:

• mild: 9 to 13.5 kg, mild taste, ripened for 50 to 150 days;
• sharp: 9 to 13.5 kg, distinctly sharp, ripened for 80 to 270 days;
• small & sharp: 5.5 to under 9 kg, distinctly sharp, ripened for 60 to 200 days.

The taste ranges from mild to distinctly sharp; it depends on various factors, in particular on whether the cheese ripens for a shorter or longer time.

The name is not on the rind but on the embossed aluminium foil in which whole and half wheels and portions are wrapped. It shows the PDO “Gorgonzola” with the EU symbol and, for the two sharp types, also the word “sharp” in smaller letters. Both flat sides of the wheel also carry the identification number of the dairy.

Production

On average over the year, at least half of the dry matter of the cows’ feed must come from the production area. Production and processing of the milk, ripening and the application of the identification marks take place in the defined area.

Milk ferments, a suspension of Penicillium spores, selected yeasts and calf rennet at the optimum temperature are added to the milk. It is dry-salted. During ripening the paste is pierced – according to the specification, it is these traditional techniques, together with the feed, that determine the taste and colour of the cheese.

Gorgonzola is sold as a whole wheel, as a wheel halved horizontally or in portions, each in embossed foil. Pre-portioned pieces without foil are only allowed if the inspection body has certified the portioning and packaging. The specification gives the reason: for food safety reasons, whole and half wheels in foil cannot be cut by machine, and because the name is not on the rind, the origin of cut pieces has to be secured in another way. In retail, cheese may be portioned at the customer’s request if the embossed foil is visible, and for direct sale if a piece of foil remains on each portion.

Origin & history

The area covers the provinces of Bergamo, Biella, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Cuneo, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Monza, Novara, Pavia, Varese, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli as well as 31 municipalities in the province of Alessandria, including Casale Monferrato and Valenza.

According to the specification, the climate there gives the dairy cows rich, high-quality fodder and favours bacteria that shape the taste and colour of the cheese. The cheese is of historical importance for the local economy, and the steps of its production have been passed down in the area for centuries.