What Italian blue cheese is often served with pears and honey?

What Italian blue cheese is often served with pears and honey? The answer is Gorgonzola.

Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese made from cow’s milk and traditionally associated with the town of Gorgonzola near Milan. Its blue-green veining comes from cultures of Penicillium mold, which create the cheese’s characteristic aroma, salty flavor, and spicy or earthy notes.

The cheese is commonly divided into two main styles. Gorgonzola dolce is soft, creamy, and relatively mild, while Gorgonzola piccante is firmer, more crumbly, and more assertive. The dolce style is especially compatible with sweet accompaniments such as ripe pears, honey, figs, and fruit preserves because sweetness softens the cheese’s saltiness and tang.

Gorgonzola is not interchangeable with every famous blue cheese. Roquefort is traditionally made from sheep’s milk in France, Stilton is English, and Brie is a soft-ripened cheese without blue veining. Gorgonzola’s Italian origin and protected designation distinguish it from those alternatives.