Whether you’re walking, biking the streets of Amsterdam or driving through the countryside, there is one aspect of Dutch culture you absolutely cannot miss–cheese! Holland is the largest exporter of cheese in the world and produces more than 1,400 million pounds of cheese each year! That’s a whole lot of cheesy goodness.
No matter which part of Holland (or the wider Netherlands) you visit, you will see this important food item showcasing itself on restaurant menus, in cheese shops and at grocery stores. Really, you usually can’t go wrong giving any Dutch cheeses a try, but be warned that some combine some pretty interesting flavors (gouda with cumin seeds, anyone?).
Many cheese shops will let you try before you buy. Cheese shops routinely have samples out and you can ask, if they don’t. It’s a great way to get a feel for what kind of Dutch cheeses you prefer as they are extremely varied in flavor and texture. Also in Amsterdam is the excellent Reypenaer’s Tasting Room on the Singel canal and not far from the flower market, which is one of the best places to try out some more unique cheeses.
Gouda
First things first, Gouda is not pronounced goo-da. It’s more like how-da, but with a more guttural, throat-clearing kind of H than you’d use in English. Hhhow-da. Gouda is Holland’s best-known cheese by far, but the cheese you find in country is generally vastly superior to the Gouda you may have tried at home–and hugely more varied. This is a cow’s milk cheese and a popular souvenir, meaning you’ll find wheels of gouda at souvenir shops, cheese shops and, of course, in the city of Gouda in southern Holland. The town of Gouda makes a fine road trip destination and you can shop for fresh cheese at the Gouda Cheese Market (Gouda Kaasmarkt).
Try as many varieties of Gouda as you can find and you’ll quickly learn about this cheese via your taste buds. You’ll spot both young and old cheese, which refers to how long the cheese has been aged. Young may be a mere few weeks and is creamy and mild. Some of the best young Gouda is graskaas–aged for a mere week and made with the first milk from cows returned to grass pastures after winter. Old cheeses may have been aged for a year or more and taste pleasantly intense, are firmer in texture and sometimes even have crystalized a bit. Also look for Gouda with interesting flavors added, including Gouda with cumin seeds, mustard seeds or even nettles.
Edam
Like Gouda, Edam is both a city and a cheese. Edam cheese is known for its red wax coating, but often Edam in the Netherlands comes without the coating unless it’s meant for travelers to take home with them (the wax is there to protect the cheese). You’ll may also find different colors of wax that might point to some other flavors in the mix–namely peppercorn or cumin. Black wax may mean the cheese is extra aged (i.e. extra delicious).
You’ll find Edam all around Holland and the Netherlands, but if you want to go to the source, the town of Edam is just a short drive or bus ride from Amsterdam. It’s located in the picturesque Waterland region, and it’s an excellent place to see another side to Holland beyond Amsterdam. Aside from tasting Edam cheese on its home turf, you can also stop by the historic cheese market. Today, the market is a reenactment, but it’s still a lot of fun to watch.
Maasdammer
Maasdammer looks a bit like Swiss cheese, but make no mistake–it’s not. It’s softer than Swiss and is known for its nutty appeal. Unlike Gouda and Edam, Maasdammer doesn’t have its own town so look for it at cheese shops, tasting rooms and grocery markets to try it out. It makes a great cheese to take along on a picnic (but don’t they all).
Boerenkaas
Cheese has been a part of Dutch society since ancient times and a great way to get in touch with local culture is to try cheeses that are rarely exported–Boerenkaas is one of the best. Boerenkaas translates to farmers’ cheese and it’s a Gouda, but in a class of its own. It’s made with fresh, raw milk. Usually the cheese is made on local farms so there’s no big business here…and you can taste the difference.
Geitenkaas
Another cheese you won’t see exported often out of the Netherlands is Geitenkass–goat cheese. Like many goat cheeses, Dutch goat cheese is bright white, but unlike what you’re likely used to, it’s not only a soft cheese. Geitenkass comes in two varieties–the familiar soft version, but also a harder type that’s almost the texture of Gouda. You can slice it. You can put it on a cracker. And you should do both of those things!
Delft Blauw
For the most part, if you hear anything about Delft in the Netherlands, it’s talking about the famous Delft blue pottery made in the city of Delft. However, if you see a cheese called Delft Blauw, it’s similar to a Gouda with some blue cheese stylings to it, include a ripple of blue running through it. It’s sweeter than blue cheese and not quite as salty. It’s also often waxed with a blue on white design to echo Delft pottery, making it perhaps the prettiest cheese in Holland.
If you make a multi-city excursion of your cheese tasting experience in Holland, a rental car is the way to go!
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Photo credits:
Dutch Cheese: Andrew Nash via Flickr
Gouda: Eelke via Flickr
Edam: Philip Cotsford via Flickr
Maasdammer: Natália Marinho via Flickr
Boerenkaas: FaceMePLs via Flickr
Geitenkaas: cheeseslave via Flickr
Delft Blauw: Paul Wilkinson via Flickr