Gorgonzola cheese: subtleties of production technology, flavor characteristics, gastronomic compatibility

Cheese is not only a delicious and wholesome food product. Ability to understand the grades, assess the shades of taste and aftertaste, to know when a particular type is served and with what dishes and drinks is combined, requires a deep knowledge of table etiquette and the subtleties of culinary art. Not all can immediately appreciate a special flavor, a specific kind, for example, cheese with mold. To other varieties, you should literally accustom yourself. And the others after the first tasting become the favorite delicacy.

The Italian miracle

Gorgonzola cheese refers to these culinary masterpieces. A child of Italian national cuisine, it was invented back in the Middle Ages, and to this day firmly and confidently holds in the top of the most famous sour-milk products, taking the top positions in the ranking of blue cheeses.

This cheese was first brewed in the province of Lombardy, which is in the north-west of 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 sharp taste has long produced in Novara, Pavia and other cities of Lombardy, satisfying the massive demand of gourmets in delicacy. By right, he is considered an Italian miracle!

Production features

The basis of the product - only cow's milk, without a drop of admixture of goat or sheep. For the souring process, a special enzyme is added to it. When the milk thickens, it is slightly cooked, and the curd mass from the vats is moved along the forms lined with thinned tissue, so that the whey dries well. When the cheese head acquires some density, it is turned over. This is done 4 times in 2 weeks. Since gorgonzola cheese is moldy, for its formation in the beginner to mature the semi-finished product is added the fungal culture of penicillium.

Preliminary, to give firmness, the product heads are rubbed with salt. The disputes give a deep sowing, grow, piercing the cheese with green-blue veins of mold. Naturally, not ordinary - indicating that the dish has long been expired, and noble - food. It looks, by the way, it's very beautiful, reminding a picture of marble. Gorgonzola cheese comes to a full readiness quite quickly - for 2 or 4 months. The difference is associated with variety varieties. The product is used in food "young" - with a soft texture, a weak aroma, somewhat sweet. And ripe - dense in consistency, spicy-spicy to taste. The flesh is either pure white or creamy-pink. Top covered with Gorgonzola cheese (photos give an idea of how it looks) with a reddish crust. Ready-made heads are carefully wrapped in foil to prevent ingress of air and prevent excessive development of mold. However, its amount does not affect the taste!

Rules of Use

According to the etiquette, elite cheeses are served for dessert. They are good with sweets, fruits, chocolate. Gorgonzola and coffee are also offered - this was introduced by the French. As an accompanying drink, red wines come to him - thick, sweet and semisweet. Since the taste of our cheese with mold is acute, it is also used as a snack before eating - to arouse appetite, abundant secretion of gastric juice. It will become a magnificent filling of a cheese plate and on the main table. However, the scope of eating is much broader than listed. After all, it is based on soup creams, sauces for pasta, the same traditional Italian pasta and much, much more.

Pros and cons of the product

Gorngozola - cheese is not only very tasty, but also useful. The only drawback of the product is its rather high fat content. Therefore, to limit the consumption of delicacies is for people with excess weight, high cholesterol. This is in the first place. Secondly, because of 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, gorgonzola cheese is not recommended to pregnant women and breastfeeding mother. How to replace it, you ask. Recognized chefs believe that the fused "Viola" or "Dor-Blue." The taste is about the same, but the dietary properties in these cheeses are somewhat larger.