Gouda cheese

The cheese is named after the city of Gouda, South Holland^[5] because it was traded there. In the Middle Ages, Dutch cities could obtain feudal rights which gave them primacy or a monopoly on certain goods. Within the County of Holland, Gouda acquired market rights on cheese, the sole right to have a market in which the county's farmers could sell their cheese.^{[citation needed]} All the cheeses would be taken to the market square in Gouda to be sold. Teams consisting of the guild of cheese-porters, identified by distinct differently coloured straw hats, carried the farmers' cheeses, which typically weighed about 16 kg (35 lb), in barrows. Buyers then sampled the cheeses and negotiated a price using a ritual bargaining system called handjeklap in which buyers and sellers clap each other's hands and shout out various prices. Once a price was agreed upon, the porters would carry the cheese to the weighing house and complete the sale.^[6][7] Modern Gouda had evolved by the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century.^[8]

Cheesemaking traditionally was a woman's task in Dutch culture, with farmers' wives passing their cheesemaking skills onto their daughters. Most Dutch Gouda is now produced industrially. However, some 300 Dutch farmers still produce boerenkaas ("farmer's cheese"), which is a protected form of Gouda made in the traditional manner, using unpasteurised milk.

Young (and factory-produced) Gouda has been described as having a flavour that is "lightly fudgy with nuts, but very, very, very mild", while a more mature farmhouse Gouda has a "lovely fruity tang" with a "sweet finish", that may take on "an almost butterscotch flavour" if aged over two years.^[9]

After cultured milk is curdled, some of the whey is drained and water is added to the batch, making Gouda a washed-curd cheese.^[10] This makes the cheese sweeter by removing some of the lactose, resulting in a reduction of lactic acid.^[11] About 10% of the mixture is curds, which are pressed into circular moulds for several hours. The moulds define Gouda's characteristic shape. The cheese is then soaked in brine, which gives the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste.^[12]

The cheese is dried for a few days before being coated with a yellow wax or plastic-like coating to prevent it from drying out. It is then aged, which hardens the cheese and develops its flavour. Dutch cheese makers generally use six gradations, or categories, to classify the cheese:

1. Young (4 weeks)
2. Young matured (8–10 weeks)
3. Matured (16–18 weeks)
4. Extra matured (7–9 months)
5. Old (10–12 months)
6. Very old (12–21 months)

As it ages, it develops a caramel sweetness and has a slight crunchiness from cheese crystals, especially in older cheeses. In the Netherlands, cubes of Gouda are often eaten as a snack served with Dutch mustard. Older varieties are sometimes topped with sugar or apple butter. Cubes of Gouda are commonly served as a snack along with beer in Dutch Bruin cafés [nl].

The term "Gouda" is not restricted to cheese of Dutch origin.^[18] However, "Boerenkaas", "Noord-Hollandse Gouda", and "Gouda Holland" are protected geographical indications in the European Union (EU).^[19][20] These cheeses can only be made in the Netherlands (although not only in the Dutch province of South Holland, in which Gouda is situated) and can only use milk produced by Dutch cows.^[21][22]

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• List of Dutch cheeses
• List of smoked foods