Why Is Everyone So Sweet on Gouda Cheese Anyway?
When I worked behind the cheese counter and didn’t know exactly what cheese would make someone happy, a taste of super-aged Gouda almost always did the trick. Those little crystals provide a satisfying crunch, and the caramelized sweetness make this kind of Gouda taste almost like cheese candy. Win!
Gouda is one of the world’s most popular cheeses, and one of the Netherland’s most beloved exports. Born in Holland, today Gouda is a broad category that includes many styles, from artisan produced farmhouse cheeses to factory-made wheels, from small Dutch towns to northern Wisconsin. Traditionally a cow’s milk cheese, producers now craft wheels with cow, sheep, or goat’s milk. The cheese can be milky, fresh, and young, or aged for many years for that unique sweet, concentrated flavor.
How Gouda Is Made
In the process of making Gouda, the curds get washed with hot water and then pressed. That washing removes some of the lactose, which means less lactose in the cheese for lactic bacterium to convert into lactic acid as the cheese ages. This results in a sweeter cheese that only becomes sweeter as it matures, as opposed to cheeses like Cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which take on sharper, tangier notes with time.
All those small crunchy deposits—the cheese crystals—are another benefit of the aging process. Crystallization happens when proteins in the cheese meet and form something called a nucleation site, or tyrosine and calcium lactate deposits that make for crunchy goodness.
Whether younger and creamier or older and firmer with more crunch, the one consistent thing when it comes to Gouda—it’s a true crowd-pleaser. Kids, grownups, cheese newbies and nerds alike seem to light up with a taste of this truly excellent, easy-to-crave cheese.
A Long, Storied History
The classic Gouda, with its characteristic sweetness and notes of caramel, has been produced since at least 1184, making it one of the oldest cheeses still being made today. It begins with milk, and milk starts with livestock. A drive through the Dutch countryside will make it clear why cows thrive here. During my trip to Holland in 2019, I felt like I was in a postcard—brilliant green grass, actual windmills, and herds of cows, peacefully munching away. Holland’s lush abundant pastures and mild temperatures make it an ideal environment for cows.
Gouda is named after a town in southern Holland—the town where the cheese was originally distributed, not where it was made. In the Middle Ages, certain municipalities held exclusive rights to weigh and sell cheese. Gouda was one of these towns, as was Edam, another Dutch city and cheese. Gouda fast became a hub for cheesemakers and farmers to bring their wares, where the cheese would be weighed and sold in the town square. The tradition continues today on Thursday mornings during the summer months when wheels of Gouda wrapped in wax rinds are proudly displayed on the city’s ancient cobblestones.
The name “Gouda” is not protected under European or international law, although Noord-Hollandse Gouda is PDO – protected designation of origin, Gouda Holland is PGI – protected geographical indication (a much larger territory than PDO) and Boerenkaas is TSG - traditional specialities guaranteed (not tied to geographic location - Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) highlights the traditional aspects such as the way the product is made or its composition, without being linked to a specific geographical area.). There are many high-quality Gouda-style cheeses, from Holland to the US and beyond. Here are a few to know and enjoy.
3 Gouda Cheese Producers
Beemster Cheese
If you draw a straight line north from Amsterdam, you’ll reach the Beemster Polder, a UNESCO World Heritage Site right along the North Sea.
The polder—which means “reclaimed from the sea”—came to be when Lake Beemster was drained in 1612 to fight constant flooding and create a place for agriculture. The mineral-rich soil, dense and brackish with sea clay from centuries under water, turned out to be tough terrain for farming. What did flourish on the polder was grass, perfect for grazing cattle. The herds who live off the incredibly nutrient-dense pasture produce some of the finest, creamiest milk in the world.
Beemster is a cheese company that takes the artisanal approach on a larger scale. The animals spend more than 180 days per year, for 10 hours per day, feasting on picturesque Dutch meadows—significantly more than the industry standard for grass-fed of 120 days per year for six hours each day. In the winter, the herds enjoy significantly roomy stables and plenty of fresh air and light. They even get massaged with special cow brushes (ahhh…). Beemster’s animals receive humane treatment and are never administered added hormones or antibiotics.
The company uses sustainable and artisanal techniques to make Beemster. They stir their curds by hand rather than with a machine. To craft Beemster wheels, they use brine that traces back from the mother brine from their co-op’s founding in 1901. Their cheeses mature slowly and naturally on wooden planks in historic stone warehouses, where their team of two cheese masters and 40 cheesemakers carefully coax out the flavors. While Gouda Holland PGI can come from anywhere in Holland, and as such, there are many brands that can use that logo and quality denomination, Beemster is currently is the only PDO Dutch Gouda in the USA and Canada, because it comes from such a restricted geographic territory / boundary.
The commitment to honoring their people, animals and land dates back to 1901, when the Beemster farmer-owned cooperative began. Local farmers in the polder joined forces and built small dairies where they teamed up to turn their milk into cheese. They worked together to set quality and taste standards for the products they made and sold to the world so that they could be proud of what they created. Today, 460 Beemster farmers continue this tradition, making decisions collectively. The company oversees the entire process, from grass to cheese, so that Beemster is entirely traceable.
They’ve modernized over the last century, building a green dairy that conserves energy and renewed their dedication to sustainability. Yet at the core, they do what they’ve always done: offer living wages for their workers, protect their land and their community, and make wonderful artisanal cheese that’s beloved throughout the world.
Old Amsterdam
Old Amsterdam is a brand of the Westland Cheese Company, a family-owned business from Huizen (Holland) that originated in 1936. Old Amsterdam is their flagship brand, exported to more than 65 countries around the world.
In 1932, the construction of the IJsselmeer Dam brought about the end of fishing for fish merchant Gijsbert Westland and his family. Cheese lovers, they pivoted to become cheesemongers, buying a cheese wholesale and maturing business in Amsterdam. Today, Old Amsterdam is produced at several Dutch dairies that work with carefully selected, fresh milk, making Gouda according to the original family recipe. They’ve just launched two new varieties: Old Amsterdam Mild and Old Amsterdam Reserve.
Their mild cheese is a young gouda aged for a minimum of four months, with a creamy, semi-soft texture making it a great choice for melting, sandwiches, and snacking. Old Amsterdam is aged for at least 18 months to coax out rich flavors of bourbon, caramel, and pecan and a firm, crumbly texture, studded with lots of crystals. It’s a cheese board standout, especially with sweet and spicy roasted nuts and grainy mustard.
Marieke Gouda
Marieke and Rolf Penterman both grew up on dairy farms in the Netherlands, but when it was time for them to go out on their own, Dutch land was prohibitively expensive. So in 2002, they moved across the Atlantic to Thorp, Wisconsin, where they launched their 350-cow dairy farm and Marieke used her Bachelor's Degree in dairy science and her background as farm inspector to start making her own Dutch Gouda in the US.
Just a few months later, her cheese started winning awards (the gold medal at the US Champion Cheese Contest, first). Now Marieke and Rolf’s herd has grown to 800 Holstein cows, and they craft between 40 and 80 wheels of Marieke Gouda daily. The curd is hand-packed into 18-pound wheels, brined for 60 hours, then aged on Dutch pine planks.
Their equipment, cultures, and even the herbs they use to flavor some of their cheeses are imported from Holland, for an old world meets new world creation. Their Gouda is available in a whopping 23 flavors, from caraway and chipotle, to smoked cumin and summer fields.