Category: Cheese stories

Read about a cheese, discover the story behind.

The story behind comté

Did you know that comté cheese is the French’s favourite PDO cheese (PDO = protected designation of origin)? And that it was the first French cheese to be protected by origin in 1958?

This classic cheese was of course also on our agenda when I visited the French Alps and the Jura Mountains with Cheese Journeys. We visited both a dairy and an affineur who ripens the cheese. In this blog post I will take you with me back to the Jura.

A historical structure

Around 1.7 million wheels of comté cheese are produced every year, each weighing around 40 kg / 88 lbs. Each cheese requires 450 litres / 119 US gallons of milk. Since one cow gives about 20 litres / 5.3 gallons of milk a day, 23 cows are needed to make one cheese. In addition, the PDO requires each cow to have one hectare of pasture. This requires large areas of land, which was also the case 1,000 years ago up in the mountains. But with relatively few cows per farmer, it was more practical to join forces when it came to cheese making, hence the birth of cheese cooperatives (‘les frutières’). Today, cooperatives are still responsible for making the cheese, while the maturing process is taken care of by the specialists, ‘les affineurs’.

Let’s start at the beginning, with the cows.

The cows

150,000 cows give milk for comté. 95% are Montbeliarde cows, the remaining 5% are French Simmental. The cows eat only grass and hay. In winter (December to April) the menu is locally produced hay, while the cows graze through fresh grass outdoors the rest of the year.

Comté is a raw milk cheese, which also means that the subtle notes in the milk from grass and hay are more apparent. Cheeses made from winter milk have a lighter yellow color than summer cheeses, where the natural coloring of the grass gives a darker yellow hue.

Drought affects the seasons

As elsewhere in southern Europe, 2022 has been marked by drought. This meant, among other things, that hay feeding began earlier in the fall than usual. And that cows began to eat fresh grass earlier, which meant that summer milk was already available halfway through April.

At the dairy

Today, there are about 140 cheese cooperatives left. In French it’s called a ‘fruitière’. The term comes from the French word ‘fructerie’ and refers to the fertility of pooling milk to produce large quantities of cheese. As well as being a practical and necessary gathering place for milk in the old days, ‘le fruitière’ was also a social gathering place for farmers.

This is why it is still an AOP requirement today that milk comes from several farms. The milk cannot be transported more than 25 km / 15 miles to preserve its quality, and the cheese must be made within 24 hours of milking.

Each dairy produces between 7 and 120 cheeses a day. After 10 days, cheeses are taken to an affineur, who ripens the cheese further. The dairy can easily work with several different affineurs, and in this way the same dairy’s cheeses can end up having many different personalities.

L’affineur

Today there are 16 affineurs or maturing cellars, where the potential behind each comté wheel is revealed. A comté must mature for a minimum of four months, the average is 18, and some can mature for as long as 36 months.

The role of the affineur is to bridge the gap between the producer and the customer. With knowledge of the cows, the area and the dairy, each wheel of cheese is brought to perfection for the customer who buys it. After all, there is a difference between the cheese being sold at a local French cheese shop and the cheese ending up on the counter in California.

In the Jura mountains, the affineurs like to use maturing cellars which naturally create good conditions for the cheeses, such as an old railway tunnel or an abandoned military fort.

I visited Marcel Petite at Fort Saint Antoine.

Inside the military fort

In the heart of the Jura Mountains (1,100 m / 3.600 feet above sea level) and close to the dairies, we find Fort Saint Antoine, built in 1879-1882. It was only in use for five years before the 420 soldiers left.

Marcel Petite started as a cheese maker in 1932, and in 1966 he came across the military fort. He saw that the thick stone walls and an insulating layer of earth on top would provide the perfect conditions for a slower ripening of the cheeses than was used at the time.

Under the fort is a water reservoir filled with rainwater and melted snow, providing the soldiers with their own water supply. This keeps the humidity in the fort high. A tunnel to the nearby forest provides natural ventilation. All of this gives optimal conditions for the unique and natural bacteria that are right here and that characterize the cheeses which mature in the fort today.

At the centre of the fort is an octagonal ‘cathedral’. Here lie as many as 100,000 wheels of cheese in the age between 2 and 36 months. An impressive sight!

Slowed down

Back in the days, comté cheeses were aged at 16-18°C / 60-64°F, which allowed them to ripen quickly and reach the market faster. However, this method of ageing also meant that the delicate nuances and subtle hints of sweetness of the milk were not expressed at all. And maybe most remarkably, the cheese had holes (almost like an Emmental). Just look at the old advertisement below.

The microclimate of Fort Saint Antoine ripened the cheeses more slowly with the lower temperature (8-9°C / 46-48°F) and higher humidity (95%). This gave the cheese a completely different flavor profile. This slow maturing changed comté cheese forever, as the other affineurs soon began to do the same.

Knocks on every cheese

In the maturing process, an important step for the cheese master is to ‘ring the wheel’ or hit it several times with a small hammer to make an overall scan of the cheese inside and to detect a possible large crack or hole.

Age matters the least

Then a sample is taken out with a so-called ‘cheese iron’. The interior of the cheese is assessed for appearance, taste, texture and smell. Age is also important but not decisive and always comes after the organoleptic assessment. Only when the cheese has developed the desired personality, it will be sent to the market.

In a Marcel Petite Comté catalogue, the age of the cheeses were not mentioned at all. Instead, they were described only on the basis of their other characteristics.

Ageing develops the flavor

As with other aged cheeses, each wheel of cheese tells us a story about the past: About the pastures where the cows grazed, about the season, about the cheese-maker’s skills and about the cheese cellar where the cheese has been aged.

In fact, 83 flavor markers have been identified for comté and they can be divided into six groups: Lactic, fruity, toasted, vegetable, animal and spicy. Some cheeses may have all the flavours, but most have a few which dominate.

The flavor wheel helps to find the right words to describe the flavor. Use it the next time you have a comté in front of you.

At the dairy, they sold their own cheeses matured by three different affineurs. You can then choose the comté you like best for the situation!

7. February 2023
Gorgonzola 101
Gorgonzola has always been one of my sweethearts. On a recent Cheese Journeys to Italy I visited Caseificio Arioli, a 6th generation gorgonzola maker. But let’s start from the beginning…

With roots in the Middle Ages

Gorgonzola was for the first time mentioned (in writing) in 879. Some believe that the cheese was made in the town of Gorgonzola, close to Milan. Others believe the cheese was made a little further north in the mountainous area of Valsassina. This was the center of milk production at the time, and the mountains were home to lots of natural caves, perfect for cheese storage.

In the fall, cows came down from the mountains to spend the winter in the valley. Their milk at this time was used to make a cheese called ‘stracchino di Gorgonzola’. The word ‘stracchino’ comes from ‘stracco’ or ‘stanco’, meaning tired in Italian. The tired cows gave a particularly tasty milk, and close to the town of Gorgonzola, large quantities of milk were converted into gorgonzola cheese. At that time, the blue mold would naturally have found its way into the cheese.

The legend of the little mistake

Well, this is not the first time we hear about a mistake which leads to a successful innovation. And so is the story of gorgonzola’s creation. A cheese maker in training and very much in love left his place prematurely to be with his chosen one. To his great horror, he discovered the day after that his half-finished cheese had turned bluish. He tried to hide it by pouring freshly made curd on top. But alas! The final cheese also turned bluish. But when the cheese master tasted the wrong-colored cheese, he became happy and blessed because its taste was divine.

Two types: Piccante and dolce

There are two types of gorgonzola: Piccante and dolce. And they are easy to tell apart.

The cheese on the left is a gorgonzola piccante. Its texture is firm, the blue mold stands out clearly, and the taste is piquant and can be quite powerful.

Gorgonzola dolce on the right is far more creamy (sometimes it can be eaten with a spoon), has a paler blue marbling, and the taste is milder and a little sweeter.

Both cheeses have a slight taste of yeast, which, however, usually disappears with a longer aging

What’s the difference?

The difference between the two types of cheese lies in the production itself, including:
- the blue mold culture (both are penincillium roqueforti – but two different sub-varieties)
- the rennet can also be different (affects the fermentation differently)
- the temperature during ripening is different, dolce matures at a higher temperature than piccante
- the length of maturation is different: Dolce is matured for a minimum of 50 days (and max 170 days), while piccante is at least 80 days matured (if the cheese weighs over 9 kg) and max 270 days
DOP

Gorgonzola obtained protection as early as 1951 (by the Stresa Convention). The sign of Protected Designation of Origin means for example, that the cheese can only be produced in Lombardy and Piedmont. The milk has to be pasteurized whole milk and the rennet is always animal rennet (extracted from veal stomachs).

There are today approximately 30 gorgonzola dairies, and they are represented in a consortium that continuously controls the quality and DOP labeling.

Gorgonzola in the kitchen

On a visit to northern Italy a long time ago, I visited a restaurant where the chef had specialized in cooking with gorgonzola. Gorgonzola is often perceived in Italy as a cooking cheese.

He explained that he most often went for a subtle underlying taste of blue mold, and therefore almost always used the mild gorgonzola dolce. In situations where he wanted to spice up the taste a bit, he added some gorgonzola piccante. This is really a great way to look at the role of cheese in cooking – and it has since inspired me to think of cheese as a spice. How strong a cheese flavor are you aiming for? It then tells you which cheese and in what quantity to use.

A peak into the gorgonzola dairy

If you’re curious about how gorgonzola is made, stay tuned for a later blog post from my visit to Arioli, who has produced traditional gorgonzola since 1811.
8. July 2022
#CheeseTrail2020

As many people spent the summer on ‘staycation’ due to covid-19, an idea ocurred to me. Where would Danes find an overview of all cheese experiences worth visiting in Denmark? Such a thing didn’t exist – and therefore I created the #CheeseTrail2020.

Follow the goat signs which lead the way to Lykkelund Goat Dairy on the island Bornholm. Here you can enjoy a break in the café, taste the ice cream or cheese made of milk from the goats and have a chat with the two ladies behind it all.

New map leads the way

My first thought about cheese experiences went to the dairies. Many have small shops open to the public or even cafés where you can enjoy their cheeses. But what about cheese shops and farm shops? And what about the cozy places that serve a sublime cheese experience?

As mentioned, that map didn’t exist, so I decided to make it myself 🙂 With the help of the cheese network, the map now contains more than 140 places (dairies, cheese shops, farm shops, restaurants and sights). The card is never finished. New places will come if I meet some myself – or others tip me.

You can see the map right here. (Right now it’s in Danish, but I’m sure you’ll get the idea). If your way passes Denmark, you can save the link and use it along the way to check out local cheese experiences – and get driving directions.

Visit Claus and Summer at Copenhagen Goat Milk.
Taste and buy their cheeses and meet the couple behind this small farm dairy.

Have an enriching talk and a good bite

If you like to have a chat with the people who make the cheese, sell the cheese or serve the cheese, then there is plenty of opportunity for that (as long as you avoid the most busy time). Remember to ask, wonder and be curious about their story!

Find a comfortable spot in a soft sofa at Our Market (in Farum or Frederiksberg) and enjoy a bite of well matured comté etc. and enjoy the informal French atmosphere which prevails in the shop, which is also a café and warehouse at the same time.

Never ending process

This is the Danish #CheeseTrail2020 – and so far (mid August) the map has been seen 6.000 times and still counting.

I’m now working on a version 2.0 for next year. Larger reach, more fun and more action based.

Please inspire me: Do you know other cheese trails around the world? Please write a comment – I will really appreciate it. Thanks.

18. August 2020
Paris. Love. Cheese.

Fromage à trois. Paris. Love. Cheese.

This is the title of a ‘feel good’ book which takes place in the center of Paris. And where love and cheese play equally big parts of the book. Just the right mix for a romantic cheese lover.

It all began with comté…

Australian Ella is heartbroken. She decides to get away – and why not go to Paris where she had her first bit of a fruity and nutty comté and so many other happy memories… Suddenly and with a one-way ticket in her hand, she is in Paris. Searching for a job, an apartment and happiness… and wouldn’t the best way be to start with some cheese? She meets Paris through the cosy cafés (and their cheese plates) and of course she finds her favorit cheese monger. We follow Ella through her first year – and in her company we go through a lot of cheeses 🙂

I’m telling you: If you’re in to cheese, Paris and romance – you’ll love this book!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Have you read about urban dairies in Paris?

14. February 2020
LeCheese – THE cheese app

(Since the publication of this blog post, the app has stopped working. I have left the blog post – maybe it will inspire somebody to take up this big and valuable work?!).

I have long been wondering why we don’t have a cheese app (and I didn’t know how to build it myself…). The world of wine has Vivino but cheese enthusiasts don’t have one single place with information about all cheeses. Until now, where the app LeCheese has been launched.

Cheese loving software developer

The story of the app begins with Brazilian Zeno and his wife who today live in the US. As a child, Zeno loved when his grandfather brought local cheeses from the countryside of Brazil. A deep passion for cheese was founded.

Just as big as his love for cheese was the frustration when Zeno and his wife once more stood in front of the cheese counter. Eager and curios to try new cheeses, but unsure of what to expect of taste, background story etc.

A flashback to Italy where Zeno and his wife made pizzas
– probably with a good mozzarella on top…

Being a software developer, Zeno decided to do something about it and built the app, all cheese enthusiasts were waiting for.

The app

More than 2.000 cheeses have already found their way to LeCheese. Like a wiki-cheese you can add a photo, rate a cheese, write a comment, send in a correction or create your own wish list. Not to mention all the info you can find about each cheese.

‘Our mission is to catalog all the cheeses that exist in the world. This is something that has never been done before, but I am sure that together it is possible,’ says Zeno Rocha, founder of LeCheese.

18. July 2019
Goat cheese and holistic grazing

‘Knark, knark, knark’. If you listen carefully, this is the sound of dandelions having their heads chopped off by eager goats.

A fresh piece of land has just been released for the goats. For the last eight weeks the land has rested giving way to new vegetation. This rotation of grassland is also called holistic grazing.

One Sunday morning, I visited Copenhagen Goat Milk, one of the newest farmstead dairies in Denmark.

‘My goats and holistic grazing are two of my favourite subjects,’ says Claus Christoffersen.

In 2017, Claus and Summer bought a house in the countryside with 13 ha / 32 ac. This is also the home for their two children who now are seven and fifteen. This morning we are sitting in the courtyard with the most beautiful and deliciously arranged cheese board with bread. For a moment I feel time has paused. Pure idyll!

Hard work

But it’s also pretty obvious that the dream about goats and dairy doesn’t come easy. Claus used to work as an accountant and this has taught him to gather and process information. Indeed the ability to acquire new material has proven vital when you decide to make cheese. With a background in the military and from elite cycling he knows how to opmitise things. As well as – at least this is what I believe – how to set a goal and fight to obtain it.

No doubt, it’s hard work to keep track of 130 goats, 100 hens, a dairy and recently also a farm outlet. And yet, a day still counts 24 hours.

Goats are cultural heritage

You need to start from the beginning, also when you want to create your own flock of goats. The breed is Danish landrace (‘dansk landrace’) which is currently on the UN list of endangered animal species. Right now there are 3-400 goats in Denmark. In the beginning, Claus and Summer bought a few goats here and another few goats there and now they have started to breed on their own animals. Right now they have four male goats, 48 milking goats and 78 baby goats.

This type of goat fits to the Danish climate, they loose their wool in the summer and can handle winter and snow with their winter fur. At Copenhagen Goat Milk, they goats decide themselves whether they want to be in or out. The less stress, the better milk quality.

Baby goats and their mothers

It’s quite rare these days that you see a dairy cow/sheep/goat together with their kids. But here they spend the day together and the nights apart. After the morning milking, they graze together again. The goats give of course less milk but this is how they have decided to do it until the kids are three-four months old.

Before every goat had its own name but this year there are too many…

What is holistic grazing?

When we talk about grazing, it is obvious that Claus has more at heart. He uses the tecnique called holistic grazing which means that you continously change the grazing area leaving some parts to rest.

The goats are only allowed to a new area after six to eight weeks of rest. This allows topsoil to come which again holds on the water. Roots get longer and new leaves grow. Actually, more CO2 is contained. The goats get a new fresh area every day which means more milk and higher quality.

Claus moves the poles a bit every day and invites the goats to fresh grass and dandelions. In return, the goats munch in concentrated silence.

Dandelion improves digestion, Claus tells. He likes diversity in the weeds on the fields.

Grass and ruminants is a match made in heaven!

Claus Christoffersen

Weeds, grass and branches is a treat for goats.

Habits and character

Goats are curious and fun animals. They watch us closely until one is brave enough to come over to pinch my hand and clothes.

Claus explains that they go the same place every time they are about to be milked which is every morning.

Swallows fly around inside the stable. They eat flies and thus help Claus to avoid insecticides.

This is not so easy. Finally, milk comes out, even though it points in all directions.

How to learn to make cheese

The original entrance of the house and a bedroom is now turned into a small dairy.

Summer was born in Thailand and nobody would have thought her future career was to be a cheese master. Nonetheless, here she is: Making cheeses and yoghurt in her own farmstead dairy. She learned by reading, talking to others and above all watching Youtube videos.

Gently she pours the curd into the moulds.

To test, observe and learn. Summer has now acheived her own expression.

The cheeses

Look at this amazingly beatiful cheese board:

Small round snack cheeses in oil and herbs are in the bowl. Followed by beautiful fresh cheeses decorated with thyme/chives/lavender & dandelion. Behind a moulded chèvre with two different ages.

Would you like to taste?

Right now you have to be in Denmark to taste the cheeses. Visit the farm outlet (find the address and opening hours on facebook. You may also find their cheeses at local markets and restaurants. At the farm, apart from cheese you can buy icecream and soap.

Dairy to the left and outlet to the right.

On their list of future projects they have organic and raw milk cheeses and I can’t wait to follow them along their future road. Good luck!!!

28. June 2019
The cheese from the island

Top 1 from a Dutch cheese journey

The boat trip from the mainland to the island is fast. Just a few minutes. You can easily see across the water. And yet it feels like another world coming to the island.

A sign on the house welcomes us: De Eenzaamheid means Loneliness. We have arrived at the house and farm dairy of Jan and Roos van Schie. The island is in a lake in the Zwanburger Polder, south west of Amsterdam. It covers 1 square km / 247 acres and their neighbors are a farmer and a windmill. We are 60 cm / nearly 2 ft below sea level. The old sea bed contains sea clay which makes the milk special.

Organic and raw milk

Jan and Roos took over the farm in 1984 and are the fifth generation of farmers. Today, they have 42 cows and make 7 cheeses a day in the small dairy. The cheeses are organic raw milk cheeses under the brand Wilde Weide (which means Wild Meadow). They share the brand with another local farmstead dairy.

You can buy Wilde Weide in Holland but also in the US and at Borough Market in London.

‘Boerenkass’ versus ‘kaas van Boeren’

Wilde Weide is a ‘boerenkaas’ which translates to ‘farmhouse cheese’. This refers to a raw milk cheese produced on the farm and which is heated to no more than 35°C / 95°F. When you talk about ‘kaas van Boeren’ or ‘kaas van de boerderij’ (cheese from the farm), you talk about a cheese made with pasteurized or thermized milk.

Let’s take a look at the dairy!

Making cheese is know how. How the curd feels and looks… it takes experience.

Jan captures the curd with the metal band and presses it slightly together

After a few moments, the curds have become cheeses and can be flipped.

Each cheese (around 13,5 kg) are being transfered to the press.

Jan adjusts the press and more whey leaves the cheeses.

Kaas is cheese, and in the cellar the cheeses go into a brine first. Thereafter they mature for around two weeks before they are being aged further by a third party, for instace Fromagerie L’Amuse.

A break with coffee, farm milk and the Dutch stroopwafel…

Enjoyed cheese for lunch – as well as the view towards the mainland which seems far away from the island life.

This was my last story (for the moment) from an unforgettable cheese journey to the Netherlands.

More cheese journey?

You can read the other parts of my story here:
Beemster (a cheese area and cheese brand)
A morning at Alkmaar cheese market
Remeker – a farmstead dairy with a different mindset than most others
Additional top 10 moments from the trip

And you can read more about Cheese Journeys who planned this trip.

Would you like to receive more cheese stories in your mailbox? Sign up for inspirational mails right here (and get a link to download a guide to the best cheese board)

29. May 2019
From soil to cheese

Top 2 from a Dutch cheese journey

He drops down unto his knees and studies the fresh cow manure on the field. It has the right smell, fIies have already found it, and that’s a good sign. It is one of indicators of how the cow is doing. Jan Dirk van de Voort is a farmer and cheesemaker of Remeker cheese and he sees the world in quite a different light than most of his colleagues.

Fresh manure with flies = healthy cow

Manure after 2½ weeks = dung beetles and birds have almost done their job

In accordance with nature

Jan Dirk comes from a farmer’s family and their story is linked to the farm De Groote Vort for many generations. Despite family tradition, he has gone his own ways. Well, his father did too, he was the first in the Netherlands to start with jersey cows. They were actually the first in Europe to make gouda with jersey milk.

The biggest change

Jan Dirk turned the farm organic 30 years ago but the gamechanger came 15 years ago when they said goodbye to antibiotics, vitamins, insecticides, pesticides etc. From that moment he relied on nature and sustainability. It has become a combination of philosophy and earning model at the same time.

The horns

An example of his way has do with horns. It is common that you dehorn the cows in order to prevent them to harm each other and to minimize the need for space. Jan Dirk explains that the horns is a mineral depot which are used for the calves. If you take away the horns, the minerals for the calves come out of the hoofs and thereby creating hoof issues which need treatment.

In order to avoid aggressions among the cows, the stable has no corners. where the cows normally could take out their aggressions.

The 85 cows eat fresh grass when it’s possible and that’s most of the year. When they can’t have fresh grass, they are fed with things such as hay, grass sileage and pressed herbs.

Drink coffee and let the worms work

The farm generates six incomes but has many more employees if you count the worms. They do an important job. Jan Dirk tells us about a research project they run with the university right now. The worms count the Dutch local worms but also imported long Canadian worms. It takes around 30 years to take the fields back to a stage where no ploughing and working the soil is needed (and he can drink coffee in stead). Where the soil is in balance when it comes to water, calcium and other minerals.

The compactness of these two soil lumps will dissappear within a few more years when the worms have done more work.

Connection between soil and cheese

When it comes to the Remeker cheese, the method is also in line with old traditions and nature. Milk is only heated to the natural temperature of the cow which means all important micro organisms are kept alive.

In the maturing cellar, beautiful cheeses with natural rind marked Remeker lie on wooden planks and are turned now and then.

But new ideas can come along. All cheeses are for instance covered with homemade ghee (clarified butter). This gives extra taste from the outside inwards.

Remeker is an old name of one of the fields. It goes back to the 17th century and comes from two old Dutch names: Reem (surrounded by) and eker (oak).

The cheeses are really good. Going from young (3 months) with buttery, creamy flavor which melts on the tongue to 1½ years with grainy texture and crunchy crystals.

22. May 2019
A morning at Alkmaar Cheese Market

Top 3 from a Dutch cheese journey

Every Friday morning from April to the end of September, a show takes place on the square in the small town Alkmaar. We are in North Holland, home for Nord Hollandse Gouda PDO. But this is not just a show for tourists (even though lots of tourists come). This is still a cheese market where 30 tons of gouda this morning is evaluated, sold, carried to be weighted and off to the buyer. What makes this market very special is its roots that go back to 1593. (Even though cheese trading took place before).

30 tons of gouda waiting on the square. All PDO gouda from Cono or Campina-Friesland.

This particular Friday was ‘Tulip Day’, thus the many tulips.

The guild

The market is run by the old ‘Kaasdragers Gilde’ which means cheese carrier’s guild.

The guild from 1593 keeps alive the old rules. For instance, you are not allowed to swear on the market place. If you do, you pay a small fine. If you’re late, you pay. If you’re clothes is stained, you pay. The money from this and the cheese sales was collected and shared between the cheese carriors during winter.

In the old days, the guild took care of the cheese carriors and their families in case of illness and death.

The cheese father is above all. Until 1920s he lived in the guild’s house by the square. But still he today, the other cheese carriers call him ‘dad’.

Once a cheese carrier, always a cheese carrier. And that is still true.

Balance

To carry eight goudas (108 kg / 238 lb.) plus the wooden barrow requires balance. To start off well, the one in front always starts with the left leg, whereas the one behind starts with the right leg.

The cheeses at the market were round until 1922. Flat goudas of today are much easier to carry.

The carriors take the sold cheeses to the weight. Then the final settlement is made with the buyer.

Four teams are working on the market. Each team consists of six carriors and one purseman who used to receive the money for the sold cheeses. An official oversees still today that everything is correct.

It was obvious to see that the cheese carriers had fun. Also I found it interesting to see how the past still lives in the presence. And how important cheese has been and still is for this area.

Money was collected in this box from 1730

Visit the market

You can visit the market every Friday morning from April to the end of September. Read here about how and where. Beside the market is a cheese museum and a gift shop with a broad range of cheese souvenirs.

15. May 2019
Beemster

Top 4 from a Dutch cheese journey

Going to the Netherlands means going to the land of gouda. But you don’t have to stay long to understand that there are differences between gouda and gouda.

If you stay in the inner center of Amsterdam you meet several well merchandised cheese shops with gouda in all colors (added spices) and without. But if you go outside Amsterdam and visit the smaller dairies you’ll see that even though they produce gouda, they refer to their cheese by the brand and not as gouda.

Protected name or not?

Gouda is one of the cheese types (like cheddar) which isn’t protected by its origin (PDO). This means gouda is produced all over the world today. But yet there are two protections: Nord-Hollandse Gouda (gouda from North Holland) has the PDO stamp, and Gouda Holland carries the PGI stamp.

Gouda is a town in South Holland. This is the place to stroll along the channels, enjoy a stroopwafel and visit the cheese market on Thursdays during spring/summer.

Beemster, the area

In the beginning of the 17th century, Amsterdam needed more farm land. Beemster lake was the biggest lake in North Holland with a connection to the sea. In the beginning of the 17th century, a wild project started: 43 windmills pumped out the water over the next few years. Dry land was found 4 meters / 13+ feet below sea level. Windmills are still used today to pump out water and keep the land dry. Today, it is protected as Unesco Heritage, as the first polder in the Netherlands.

The plan was to use the reclaimed land for agriculture. But the soil was too wet. Yet it was perfect for grass and cows. The soil is old sea bed, fertile mineral marine clay, rich and salty.

The grass that grows here has a high level of Omega 3 which adds to the milk quality. However, if the grass gets too long, the Omega 3 dissappears. Therefore, it needs to be cut at the right length when turned into hay 🙂

The plan for the reclaimed land from the old lake. And so it is today: Straight roads, dykes and water channels.

With so much water all over, maybe it’s no wonder the Dutch king has an education in Water Management

Locks are used to manage the different levels of water

Beemster, the cheese

4% of all Dutch cheese comes from Cono Kaasmakers, a cooperative in Westbeemster (the biggest player is Friesland-Campina with 75%).

Cono started in 1901 and covers today 460 farmers who in average have 70 free range cows per farm. Their biggest brand is Beemster.

Even though it is an industrial production, they still use some traditional techniques. For example, the cheesemaker stirs the curd by hand (he uses a rake) which ensures an even drainage and thereby a smoother texture.

Cono claims to be the greenest dairy in the world and is aiming at being CO2 neutral in 2020. In 2008, they launched their Caring Dairy-project (‘happy cows, happy farmers, happy planet’) which focuses on sustainable dairy farming. Cows are out 180 days a year, live longer, have better health and give more milk.

Noord-Hollandse Gouda PDO

The old marine clay in the soil is the secret behind the unique taste of the cheeses coming from this area. The blue marine clay gives more taste to the juicy grass and thus to the milk. At the dairy they add less salt which leaves room for a more natural and complex taste.

Gouda from North Holland carries the PDO stamp. One of the describing factors for this particular gouda is a lower salt content than in other goudas. Two producers make this particular gouda (Cono and Friesland-Campina).

Beemster cheese come with different maturations from 1 month to 26 months. From buttery and creamy to crymbly, drier and more caramel

Happy in the land of gouda… 🙂

10. May 2019