€7,50
€7,50
Spicy Gorgonzola PDO is a bluish uncooked cheese typically produced in Lombardy with whole cow’s milk. It has a very intense and strong aroma and a firm texture. Its flavour is spicy and distinct, also thanks to the marbling process that creates uniform blue streaks all over the slice.
MILK, rennet, salt. Non-edible rind.
MILK, rennet, salt. Non-edible rind.
TASTING TIPS
Spicy Gorgonzola is the perfect cheese to enrich many types of dishes, such as appetisers, first and second courses and sides. If you would like to create an appetiser or an aperitif, we suggest serving Spicy Gorgonzola on a charcuterie board with Cooked Ham and Bresaola, pairing everything with crackers and acacia honey, onion compotes or pear Mostarda, which will balance the spicy notes of Gorgonzola with their sweet flavour.
Given its texture, firmer than the sweet version of Gorgonzola, it can be used as a filling for stuffed pasta like Ravioli and Tortellini or for meat rolls. In the Valtellina area, Lombardy, it is often used to prepare corn Polenta.
Or, if you would like to flavour salad bowls or vegetables or boiled potatoes sides with Spicy Gorgonzola, you will only need to coarsely chop it and add it to your plate. If you add it to a hot dish, Spicy Gorgonzola will soften without completely melting adding a touch of creaminess.
As for the wine paring, we recommend tasting Spicy Gorgonzola with sweet, medium alcohol content wines that will balance its greasiness and flavour at the same time. We suggest fortified white wines, classic method sparkling wine or champagne.
CURIOUS FACTS
Spicy Gorgonzola takes its name from the homonymous town in Lombardy it was first produced around the 12th century. Nowadays, Spicy Gorgonzola boasts a PDO certification which guarantees that it remains linked to its area of origin through the Consortium created in 1970. The conformity regulation ensures that Spicy Gorgonzola PDO is only produced in some provinces of Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto.
SWEET VS. SPICY GORGONZOLA
Not everyone knows that Spicy Gorgonzola is the “real” version of this cheese. As a matter of fact, Sweet Gorgonzola was produced for the first time only in the 1950s, but it suddenly became the most popular and loved type.
These two versions are very different between them both in their production process and their flavour. For example, the ageing phase lasts a minimum of 80 days for Spicy Gorgonzola and a minimum of 50 days for the sweet version. It is also for this reason that Spicy Gorgonzola has more evident and uniform bluish streaks all over the slice and a drier and more compact texture than the creamier Sweet Gorgonzola. As for the flavour, Spicy Gorgonzola is more savoury and the mould notes are more intense.
MANUFACTURING
The process to produce Spicy Gorgonzola PDO is very similar to the one followed for stracchino cheese. For this reason, rumour has it that it was originally known as Gorgonzola Stracchino or Green Stracchino cheese. Whole milk is processed with rennet, milk enzymes and Penicillium spores. The latter will allow moulds to develop during maturation. The curd is formed and broken into smaller pieces, which are left to dry so that the whey can come out. Afterwards, the mixture is put into moulds, salted and aged from 80 to 270 days. The final step is applying the DOP mark on both sides of the wheel and wrapping the cheese pieces in specific foils displaying the logo and name of the product in order to guarantee the authenticity of Spicy Gorgonzola PDO.
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