Ah, Borgonzola. It sounds like a cheese that I’ve heard of, but it’s not. It’s like a knock-off of Gorgonzola. Apparently, Gorgonzola is a name restricted only to a small portion of Italy, and similar cheeses from other areas have to have other names. Hence, Borgonzola. I don’t know why the names sound so alike — to me, that’s like buying a sparkling wine called “Shampayne” but who knows, maybe there’s a good reason.
In any case, Gorgonzola can display a wide range of characteristics, from very creamy to very crumbly, so it’s not like you’d be confusing the brand.
And, actually, Borgonzola seems like a pretty good cheese. I’m not going to think less of Gorgonzola because I’ve consumed this cheese, that’s for sure.
But enough of the weird naming conventions. How about the cheese itself?
Well, I’ll tell you right off the bat. As one taster put it, this cheese smells “like mouldy basement.” It’s a semi-soft cheese that comes in a wheel and is covered with white bloom, so it’s like a Brie or a Camembert in that respect, but it has the veins of blue mold that typify blue cheese, too. It’s like a hybrid.
If the smell and the almost-slimy texture don’t put you off, I encourage you to put this cheese on a cracker and pop it in your mouth. It works well on a cheese tray, but I have heard that it’s also served melted, on pizza, or mixed with short pastas, which I can imagine being very interesting.
By itself, the Borgonzola has a surprisingly mild flavour for a blue-based cheese. It’s not nearly as sharp or as sour as you might expect, and the smell does this cheese an injustice. As it warmed to room temperature, it got even better, coasting on the tongue and sliding nicely down the throat.
The official TreStelle website notes that this cheese was “a finalist in the Blue Cheese category for the 2000 and 2002 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.” It’s not hard to believe. They also host a couple of recipes that call for Borgonzola, and I would definitely buy it again to try it melted and mixed with other flavours.
Next week, I’ve got another Gorgonzola knock-off lined up, a Cambozola, so it will be interesting to compare and contrast.
Grant Hamilton
2 Responses to “Cheese of the Week: TreStelle Borgonzola”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
It did indeed taste better than it smelled, which is good, because the smell was gross.
[...] bought this cheese and last week’s Borgonzola at the same time — partially because I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a Gorgonzola, [...]