Gorgonzola Cheese

Thanks to a boy and a girl, and a little coincidence, we now have a cheese called Gorgonzola—at least, that's how the legend goes. Part of the Stracchino family of cheeses native to Lombardy, Gorgonzola was created when a cheese maker's apprentice decided to forego separating the curd from the whey one evening. His goal was to leave work early and have a few more precious moments with the woman he desired. The next morning, out of that passion, Gorgonzola was born.

Named after the town where it was founded, Gorgonzola was cultivated by monks in the Lombardy region, who used the excess milk the cows provided to make cheeses like Grana Padano and Gorgonzola, two of Lombardy's signature cheeses. While Grana is harder, more akin to a Parmigiano in consistency and flavor, Gorgonzola is creamier and different in both flavor and color.

The secret is pennicillium, a mold inside the flesh of the milky-white cheese. This mold imparted the cheese with s signature flavor and color that is hard to forget. Blue, and sometimes green, veins of mold give Gorgonzola a robust, full, piquant flavor all of its own. Gorgonzola is created both aged and young. The young Gorgonzola, called Dolce, is creamier than the aged version, and milder in flavor. It lends itself more to cooked dishes, sauces, and spreads. The aged variety, known as Piccante, is more crumbly, making it perfect as a pairing for fruit at the end of the meal or savored on its own at the beginning.