Gorgonzola

This is one of the most famous cheeses and comes from Lombardy in Italy. A mould is introduced into the cheese and its growth is enhanced through a method of piercing the cheese with copper or stainless steel needles to produce fissures or air passages. This enables oxygen to enter and nourish the mould. Bacteria are mixed into the curd earlier in the cheese making process and the piercing speeds up the blueing process. A healthy Gorgonzola is a vivid, glistening ivory to straw colour, set against liberal striations of greenish blue mould. It should be moist and not too crumbly. The flavour gets stronger as the cheese matures.