GORGONZOLA, AND MOULDED CHEESE 41 



difficulties are met with by the small dairymen 

 in the mountainous districts, especially those 

 who are constantly moving with their herds of 

 cattle, and therefore compelled to make the cheese 

 wherever they may be ; this system it is which 

 accounts for so much inferior Gorgonzola. 



The curd of the morning is in the first place 

 treated in a similar manner to that adopted with 

 the curd of the evening, but when broken every 

 effort is made to obtain from it a large quantity 

 of whey while it is still warm. A small quantity 

 of acid forms in the evening's curd, but the 

 curd of the morning should be perfectly sweet. 

 The mould used in the manufacture of Gorgon- 

 zola is a curled piece of wood, preferably beech ; 

 but in some cases metal is being introduced in 

 consequence of the fact that it can be more 

 easily cleaned, not absorbing the whey, as is 

 the case with -wood. To one end of the mould 

 a cord is attached, so that the cheese may 

 be tightened or loosened as may be found 

 desirable. When ready for moulding the curd 

 is placed on the draining-table, which is fluted 

 to carry off the whey, and the mould is placed 

 on a rye-straw mat. Sometimes the mould is 



