Undoubtedly, one of the Italian cheeses that most people have heard of is Gorgonzola. The name itself is certainly ear-catching and one to remember. It might sound like it would be better suited to a mythical monster, but as we shall see, it is actually quite fitting to this particular cheese and not without reason.

The cheese is definitely monster sized in terms of its production, with over 4 million wheels produced every year, leading to a multi-million dollar industry. However, the thing that makes Gorgonzola stand out is its appearance. Its soft white, crumbly frame is laced with blue threads, or veins, which at first glance might give the impression that something is not quite right. However, once tasted, both cheese lover and ordinary Joe alike can rest assured that everything is most certainly in order.

In the following few paragraphs we will find out a little bit more about the Gorgonzola origin and why it can definitely claim to belong to cheese royalty!

A town somewhere in Italy

As already mentioned, the name Gorgonzola is a bit of a mouthful and raises the question, where such a name would have come from. The very simple answer is that there is a town in Italy, just outside of Milan, which goes by the very name of Gorgonzola. As to where the town itself got the name, there is some debate. Most probably it was a corruption over time of a different name, “Curte Argentia” and “Concordia” being two possible candidates.

At some point in time, the town was obviously associated with the cheese and the name got passed on. Indeed, it would not seem unreasonable to presume that Gorgonzola cheese originated in the town of Gorgonzola, although this claim is disputed by other towns, such as neighbouring Pasturo.

The Monster Lives

Many a Hollywood blockbuster has been centred around the creation or discovery of all sorts of monsters. Gorgonzola cheese itself could be considered a bit of a monster in the cheese world, due to its slightly odd appearance of crumbly white cheese interspersed with greenish blue lines.

These coloured streaks are caused by a mould called, “Penicillium Glaucum”, which is introduced into the cheese during the production process. When we think about mould, we usually consider it to be something bad and inedible. How often do you see a mouldy piece of fruit and think to yourself, “Hmmh, looks like a tasty treat”? For most sane people, that would be a not very.

In the case of Penicillium Glaucum, things nevertheless are a little different. This is a mould which doesn’t develop bacterial contamination. In other words, it doesn’t contain any harmful bacteria, so is perfectly safe for humans to eat. In fact, some might say that it’s actually quite tasty!

The upshot of all this is that by adding this mould to the cheese, rather than spoiling the product, the result is actually the complete opposite. The mould stimulates the ripening of the cheese curd, which results in what we know as Gorgonzola!

Who would have thought of that!

When one thinks about making cheese, probably the artificial introduction of mould is not the first technique that comes to mind! Indeed, the anti-bacterial properties of Penicillium Glaucum were first noticed only in 1874 by Sir William Roberts, a physician from Manchester, so evidently, the origins of Gorgonzola lie more in the natural introduction of the mould, rather than any artificial efforts.

As should be the case for all good cheeses, the appearance of Gorgonzola is often linked to a love story. The tale goes that one time a young cheesemaker was so distracted by a young lady that he accidentally left the cheese curds he was working on, out to drain overnight. The next morning, in an attempt to cover up his mistake, he mixed these curds in with the morning’s fresh batch. After a few weeks of aging, he noticed that the cheese he was making had a blueish colour throughout. Bravely he gave it a tasted and discovered that he had accidentally created the first Gorgonzola!

Whether or not the first person to make Gorgonzola was a star-struck young lover remains to be seen, but in any case, the principle of this story is probably far from the truth. By leaving out cheese curds overnight in an area such as that around the town of Gorgonzola, was a way to natural introduce mould that lived in the vicinity into the cheese. Historically this part of Italy had a large production of milk, so at some point (probably by the 11^th century) people realised that leaving out excess cheese curd overnight and then missing it in the following morning with fresh curd resulted in blue cheese.

Back to the Modern Day

Since these early days of Gorgonzola production, the techniques and methods have become much more refined. These days it is rarely made by mixing in overnight curds with morning fresh curds. Rather it is made from a single batch of milk, to which either the mould Penicillium Glaucum or Penicillium roqueforti (very similar and used in the production of many blue cheeses).

Once the cheese curd is extracted from the milk and put into a container, it is left to age. During the aging process, it is pierced with metal rods to allow air to enter. This air is then used by the mould to grow, causing the aging of the cheese and the spread of the blue mould throughout it.

Two types of Gorgonzola are generally manufactured, the difference between them being the length of aging. The younger one is called, ‘Gorgonzola Dolce’ and is sweeter and softer. The older version is called, ‘Gorgonzola Piccante’ and is sharper in taste and firmer.

A Real Monster

Overall then, Gorgonzola is certainly a monster of a cheese. Not just in the sense that it was created by the accidental introduction of mould into cheese curd, something that could have produced a disaster, but actually resulted in a tasty cheese.

More than this though, it a monster of a cheese because of its great reputation and significant place in the world of cheeses!