7 Cheeses You Have to Taste When in the Netherlands
There’s plenty for which the Netherlands is renowned — tulips, windmills, cannabis cafes…and Dutch cheese too. Yes, this tiny country is a world-producer when it comes to the creamy stuff. From the tried-and-tested favourites (who hasn’t heard of Gouda and Edam?) to lesser known varieties, spiced with fennugreek and and cumin, there’s something for every palette here.
And what better meal is there, anyway, than a hunk of home-baked bread, a slab of butter, some fine Dutch cheese and a Heineken to wash it down? Perfect for breakfast, lovely at a picnic, and a wonderful way to end a good dinner, cheese always hits the spot. Here at CasaVersa, we’ve made a list of those we really love.
Gouda — dense, crumbly and springy, there are actually more than 80 varieties of this nutritious cheese… Dutch, aged, smoked, goat. One of the world’s most popular yellow cheeses, when it’s matured for over two years it has a somewhat butterscotch-like taste! Today, it is mostly made industrially but some 300 farmers still make a variety of it (Boerenkaas) using unpasteurized milk. Tried and tested.
Maasdam — This is a Swiss-style Dutch cheese, aged for at least four weeks and sometimes waxed. Nutty and sweet (with a fruity background), it is softer than its Swiss rival, Emmental, though looks similar (with the ‘holes’ in it). Made of cow’s milk, it has a very high fat content (a minimum of 45%) and tastes fantastic in a sandwich or melted in a soup/fondue. Yum!
Edam — this semi-hard, pale yellow cheese is traditionally made in a spherical (ball) shape. Easily recognizable, due to its paraffin red outer wax, it is mildly tangy and slightly salty. Mild Edam goes well with melons, peaches and cherries; the aged kind is often eaten with apples and pears. With a texture that is subtle and a smooth taste, no wonder it’s such a popular Dutch cheese.
Leyden — this firm, skimmed cow’s milk cheese has an extraordinary aroma — a result of the cumin (and sometimes caraway seeds) in it — found on the Spice Route, centuries ago. It also has an additional ingredient — creamy buttermilk but its texture is drier and firmer than Edam! Today, it is made both on farms and in cheese factories and the older kind is matured for at least two years. Full of flavour, this is one spicy treat.
Kanterkaas — also known as ‘Friesian’, the flavour of this cheese changes dramatically as it ages. When plain, it is pleasantly and sharp; as it ages, it becomes tangy and fragrant. It has a flat, cylindrical shape, an ivory or yellow-green colour, and and sometimes cumin or cloves seeds are added to it.
Limburger — this Dutch cheese is first and foremost known for its stinky aroma (some people say it’s like foot odor!) Made from pasteurized cow’s milk, often sourced from local organic farms, tit has a mild taste, despite its pronounced smell. Firm and crumbly when it first ripens, after two months it is much creamier and smoother. The outside of the cheese has an orange-brown rind. Go on — be brave and try it!
Grasskaas — this limited edition cheese is only produced in the summer — the ‘Beemster’ cows are led to pasture after a winter indoors, and so this is their first milking in months. Their milk is rich and the result is a rich, mild-flavoured product. Beemster Graaskaas is has a medium firm texture and a green rind (which is inedible). Matured for a month, a great deal of it is then exported, as it’s rare and so commands high prices. Try it!
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