GORGONZOLA CHEESE
Gorgonzola is an Italian cows' milk (and sometimes goats' milk) cheese named after a village that was once outside of Milan, but is now really a suburb of the city. The cheese dates back to the 9th century, with the blue/green mold (more green than blue) developing accidentally sometime around the 11th century. Before then it was similar to a cheese called Panerone made in Lombardy.
Gorgonzola is considered one of the best in the world of its kind. The London Stock Exchange is nicknamed 'Gorgonzola Hall' due to the greenish marble used in its interior.
As with most blue-veined cheeses, Gorgonzola was originally aged in caves and the blue veins of mold developed from spores naturally present in the caves. Today, again like most blue-veined cheeses, the mold spores are mixed right in with the curds in the cheesemaking process to maintain consistent standards.
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