By Nathan Aldridge ACS CCP™

As proven by recent archaeologist findings, the Dutch history of making cheese dates back to roughly 200 B.C. The level of production back then was of course much smaller, with each village having only a couple cheesemakers who gather fresh milk from as many neighbors as possible to pull together enough milk to make large wheels of cheese for them and their neighbors. They found through trial and error that the larger wheels would keep much longer and helped provide sustenance and much needed nutrition through the long, cold winters.

Making and trading cheese had assumed a central position in Dutch life by the Middle Ages. Cheese was such a vital part of daily life to the Dutch, that in 1100 A.D. that Dutch bargemen were allowed to pay tolls with cheese. It’s often thought that Dutch cheeses are named after the provinces in which the cheeses are made, but that is not correct. The cheeses received their names from the markets where they were traded. Cheese markets flourished and towns that were granted weighing rights were able to build Weigh Houses, granting these towns special status. The most famous Weigh House is called De Waag and is located in the beautiful town of Gouda.

Before dairy production factories were introduced, dairy farmers made cheese from cow’s milk at their farms. This was still the case at the end of the 19th century, but creameries were also being established and receiving attention. The first creamery was founded in 1883 and many followed. Creameries allowed for the production of cheese to be more controlled and efficient. Nevertheless, it is still possible to purchase cheese made at farms, even though most cheese is made at factories nowadays.

Making Gouda

Gouda is meant to be a ‘sweet’ cheese. Not sweet as we think of with sugar, but sweet as in the absence of acidity. There are two major steps in the cheese making process that helps remove the acidy from the cheese: washing the curd and pressing the wheels before aging. Curd washing or curd rinsing, as the name applies, is the addition of water to the still developing curds. A similar process to this is known as whey dilution, which accomplishes the same feat. What’s the water doing? It’s removing lactose from the fresh curds. With less lactose, that means less potential for the starter culture bacteria to produce lactic acid. The result is a cheese with a lower acidity level, which is referred to as a “sweet make” or a “sweeter” cheese. Once the curds have been drained of the remaining whey, they are packed in molds, covered with a lid, and stacked with weights. The weights push down against the newly forming wheel, giving gouda it’s shape, as well as pressing out as much residual whey as possible. This also aides in keeping the acidity level down.

Gouda can be made from cow, goat, or sheep milk; with most of all Goudas being cow’s milk. Goudas can also range in age from just a few months old (where the texture is soft and pliable with a grassy, mild flavor), to several years old (where they get much harder and more crumbly and the flavors are more intense with hints of browned butter and toasted caramel). Either way you enjoy it, Gouda is a timeless classic that is enjoyed worldwide.