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Holland.com > Featured > Dutch cheeses

May 21, 2007 11:09 AM GMT

By: NBTC

Dutch cheeses

History
The Dutch have been producing cheese since before 400 AD. The importance of cheese-making increased as the process of cattle-breeding improved. With the Middle Ages came a significant period in the dairy industry when the official dairy markets and weigh-houses were introduced, which both controlled the quality and weight of the cheese.

The Dutch were making cheese on a large scale by the 15th century. In 1649, the port of Edam alone exported one million pounds of cheese. Although industry was rapidly progressing, the farmer made the decision about how much milk was to be allocated to the production of cheese. He milked his cows twice a day and poured the milk left for cheese production into the cheese tub. His wife, daughters, and dairymaids would then make cheese twice a day. The cheese was brought down to the cities which possessed a weigh-house such as Alkmaar, Edam, or Gouda, to be sold once a week. A lot of the export went by way of Hoorn, Kampen, Amsterdam, or Rotterdam.
All the cheese produced came from farms in the provinces of North and South Holland, Friesland, and western Utrecht. Although production has been taken over by factories, today there are still over 600 farms, especially in South Holland and Utrecht, that produce their own cheese, known as "Boerenkaas" (farmers cheese), from unpasteurized milk.

How cheese is made
There are eight stages the milk has to go through before it has been transformed into a delicious cheese. The first stage is when the rennet is added to the morning and evening milk. Rennet is a coagulating agent found in the stomachs of young calves.
These bacteria help in the second stage of coagulation and have a favorable influence on the ripening of the cheese. They also prevent the effect of undesirable bacteria. During the second stage, the coagulation stage, the milk curdles.
The third stage is known as the stirring and cutting stage when two or three buckets of hot water are added to the barrel. The water will shrink the pieces of curd until they become light and rubbery.
The fourth stage consists of filling the cheese mold. This is done with the aid of a perforated steel band that draws the curd together into one mass. It slightly solidifies after about 10 minutes at which time it is lifted into a muslin-lined mold. These molds were made from wood, but today plastic is used because it is easier to clean. Spices and herbs, if added, are kneaded into the drained curds before they are put in the molds.
The fifth stage is marking the cheese with a stamp. Every cheese has one. This government stamp indicates the country of origin "Holland", the names of the variety such as Gouda and Edam, the fat content in the dry matter, and a serial number. This system was developed to control and check the quality of the cheese. It is through these stamps that it is possible to trace the life of the cheese.

The cheese is pressed for about six hours to remove any excess when in the sixth stage. After that, the cheese is placed in a brine bath for three days in the seventh stage. The salt water of the bath enhances its flavor, and helps to both preserve the cheese and form a good "crust".
The eighth and final stage is the plastification of the cheese. As soon as the cheese is lifted out of the bath, it is left to dry on unpainted wooden shelves. Once it is dry, the cheese is covered with a porous plastic coating, which protects the rind and prevents mold from forming. The cheese is then left to mature. Its flavor develops when the moisture evaporates and the salt penetrates into the cheese.
Soft young cheese is ripened for about three weeks, but the more mature cheese, "belegenkaas", ripens between two and seven months. "Oude kaas" (old cheese) needs to ripen for at least twelve months.

Types
Gouda, Edam, and Leiden cheeses are among the most prominent of all Dutch cheeses. More than 50 percent of the total cheese production consist of Gouda cheese. Edam cheese is the only cheese in the world to hold a perfectly round shape and is the second most important product in the variety of Dutch cheeses. It makes up 27 percent of the total cheese production in Holland. Leiden cheese distinguishes itself from the others by the addition of cumin seeds.
There are too many cheeses to give an explanation of each, however, other cheeses are Frisian, Limburger, Cream, May, Quark, Kernhem, Bluefort, Subenhara, Maasdam, Amsterdam, Mimolette Commission, Maasland, Texelaar-Kollumer, Pompadour, Botanica, Onion, Shepherd, Butter, Diet, and Processed, each containing their own unique flavor.

Cheese markets
In the olden days, the farmer took his cheese to a nearby cheese market once a week looking for a bidder. Today, the cheese markets at Gouda and Alkmaar, open during the summer months, is a continuation of this ritual. The process is as following: a buyer approaches a farmer and offers him a price. This price is immediately rejected and the buyer leaves, only to return shortly with a second bid.
At this time, the farmer raises the price and the buyer walks away. He returns a third time when a price is finally agreed upon and the cheese is officially weighed. The buyer is also engaging himself in what is known as "Cheese bashing" as this form of haggling is occurring. He bangs the palm of his hand against the cheese to determine whether the holes in the cheese are the right size. The banging occurs until an agreed price is determined. Each slap of the hand means that either the buyer has increased his offer or the farmer has decreased the price.
Once this procedure has ended the buyer samples the cheese. This is done with a six inch cheese borer which the buyer plunges into the cheese so that the "stick" that was scooped out can be tested for flavor and age.
At the official weighing of the cheeses, the cheese bearers, each wearing different colors depending for whom they work, carry the cheeses on cheese "stretchers" to and from the weigh-houses.
There are cheese weigh-houses in the towns of Hoorn, Edam, Leiden, Leeuwarden, Alkmaar, and Gouda. Today, however, only three of the towns actually market the farmhouse cheeses. They are Gouda, Woerden, and Bodegraven. At Alkmaar, Purmerend, and Gouda, cheese markets are held in the summer as tourist attractions.

Museums and cheese
Farms Holland contains various museums which tell the story of it's dairy industry. Emphasis is placed on the tools used in the 18th and 19th centuries before the advent of dairy factories. The Dutch Cheese museum is located in the weigh-house at Alkmaar.
The cheese farms are owned by farmers who still produce their own "Boerenkaas" (farmers' cheese) and open their farm to the public. A visitor can watch the cheese production process and afterwards buy some of the cheese.