Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola
Country of origin	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Town	Gorgonzola
Source of milk	Cow
Pasteurized	Yes
Texture	Soft and crumbly
Fat content	25–35%
Aging time	3–4 months
Certification	Italy: DOC from 1955; EU: PDO from 1996[1]
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Gorgonzola (/ˌɡɔːrɡənˈzoʊlə/, Italian: [ɡorɡonˈdzɔːla]) is a famously pungent Italian blue cheese made from unskimmed cow's milk; believed to have been created in the 9th century;^[2] now with use of its name controlled under the criteria of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Gorgonzola is available in two primary variations: Dolce with a more delicate flavor and buttery concistency, vs Piccante with a more pungent flavor and firm, crumbly texture. Either can be quite salty, with a "bite" from their blue veining.^[3] More recently, a variation has been marketed widely, featuring a layered block alternating the more assertive Gorgonzola with the more delicate Mascarpone, marketed as Gorgonzola e Mascarpone.

The cheese takes its name from Lombardian town of Gorgonzola, Milan, where the cheese originated and which celebrates an annual September Gorgonzola festival, called the Sagra Nazionale del Gorgonzola.^[4]

Within the European Union and countries recognizing Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), a cheese bearing the name Gorgonzola may only originate from its closely defined geographic locale. Outside the EU and countries recognizing the PDO, the name Gorgonzola may legally be used to designate similar blue-veined cheeses — as with those from, for example, Wisconsin, Vermont, or elsewhere within the USA.