Cheese is not only a delicious and healthy food product. The ability to understand the varieties, evaluate the shades of taste and aftertaste, to know when what kind is served and with what dishes and drinks it combines, requires deep knowledge of table etiquette and the intricacies of culinary art. Not everyone can immediately appreciate the special aroma, specific appearance, for example, blue cheese. Other varieties should literally accustom themselves. And others after the first tasting pass into the category of a favorite delicacy.
Italian miracle
Gorgonzola cheese belongs to such culinary masterpieces. A child of Italian national cuisine, it was invented in the Middle Ages, and to this day firmly and confidently holds the top of the most famous sour-milk products, occupying the top positions in the ranking of blue cheeses.
This cheese was first brewed in the province of Lombardy, which is located in northwestern Italy. And the name was given to him in honor of a small town located very close to Milan. Gorgonzola cheese with its characteristic, instantly recognizable spicy taste has long been produced in Novara, Pavia and other cities of Lombardy, satisfying the massive demand of gourmets in the delicacy. By right, he is considered an Italian miracle!
Manufacturing Features
The basis of the product is only cow's milk, without a drop of goat or sheep impurities. For the souring process, a special enzyme is added to it. When the milk thickens, it is slightly boiled, and the curd mass from the vats is moved in the forms lined with thinned tissue so that the whey drains well. When the cheese head acquires a certain density, it is turned over. This is done 4 times in 2 weeks. Since Gorgonzole cheese is moldy, for its formation, the fungal culture of penicillum is added to the semi-finished product starting to ripen.
Previously, to give hardness, the product heads are rubbed with salt. Spores give a deep sowing, grow, penetrating the cheese with green-blue veins of mold. Naturally, not the usual one - indicating that the dish has expired long ago, and the noble one is food. By the way, it looks very beautiful, resembling a marble pattern. Gorogonzola cheese comes to full readiness quite quickly - in 2 or 4 months. The difference is related to the varieties of the variety. The product is eaten “young” - with a soft texture, weak aroma, somewhat sweet. And ripened - dense in consistency, spicy-spicy in taste. The pulp color is either pure white or pinkish-cream. Gorgonzole cheese is covered on top (photos give an idea of how it looks) with a reddish crust. Finished heads are carefully wrapped in foil to prevent air from entering and prevent excessive mold development. However, its quantity does not affect the taste!
Terms of use
According to etiquette, elite cheeses are served for dessert. They are good with sweets, fruits, chocolate. Gorgonzola is also offered for coffee - the French introduced this fashion. As an accompanying drink, red wines are suitable for it - thick, sweet and semi-sweet. Since the taste of our blue cheese is spicy, it is also used as a snack before meals - to stimulate appetite and copious secretion of gastric juice. It will become a magnificent filling of a cheese plate on the main table. However, the scope of food is much wider than the above. After all, cream soups, pasta sauces, the same traditional Italian pasta and much, much more are made on its basis.
Product Pros and Cons
Gorngozola - cheese is not only very tasty, but also healthy. The only minus of the product is its rather high fat content. Therefore, it is worthwhile for overweight people with high cholesterol to limit the consumption of goodies. This is the first. Secondly, due to the high percentage of mold, the product can cause changes in the intestinal microflora. True, if you eat it every day and in large portions. For the same reasons, it is not recommended for pregnant women and lactating mother Gorgonzola cheese. How to replace it, you ask. Recognized chefs consider it to be fused with Viola or Dor Blue. The taste is about the same, but the dietary properties of these cheeses are slightly larger.