160 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



face growths, they were exposed to low humidities for a 

 time and cracks opened at the surfaces, as seen in the 

 ripening rooms at Lecco (Fig. 24). The texture was 

 more or less waxy or tough, which was correlated with 

 the slightly higher heat at renneting together with the 

 stirring or " working " of the curd. Comparative an- 

 alyses of a series of imported cheeses confirm the inter- 

 pretation that the salt-content of Roquefort, 4 per cent 



FIG. 25. Gorgonzola cheese curing-room. 



approximately, prevents the invasion of the interior of 

 the cheese by Oidium. No complete study of the ripen- 

 ing of Gorgonzola -has been made. As far as followed, 

 it consists in an initial souring process followed by ripen- 

 ing by molds and slime organisms. At its best, Gorgon- 

 zola is nearly equal to Roquefort but the percentage of 



