A nutty aged wheel cheese, sliced onto bread or cubed with mustard. It is named for the market town granted cheese-weighing rights in 1395, and farmers still bring wheels to the Gouda market for the ritual hand-clap bargaining.
The washed-curd step depends on controlling acidity and temperature to a narrow range, and the wheels ripen for months or years in a store held at a steady temperature and humidity.
What goes into it
- cow’s milk
- rennet
- a mesophilic starter culture
- salt
- wax or a natural rind
How it is made
The milk is set with rennet, the curd cut, and part of the whey drawn off and replaced with hot water — a washing step that lowers acidity and gives Gouda its sweet, nutty character. The curd is pressed into wheels, brined for days, and ripened for a month to several years, during which tyrosine crystals form in the older wheels.
How long it takes: four weeks for young, one to four years for aged
How it is eaten
Sliced on bread for breakfast, cubed with mustard as a borrel snack, or shaved in shards when old.
History
Named for the market town granted cheese-weighing rights in 1395; farmers still bring wheels to the Gouda cheese market for ritual hand-clap bargaining.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gouda cheese?
Gouda cheese is a cheese & dairy from Netherlands: nutty aged wheel cheese, sliced for bread or cubed with mustard. Named for the market town granted cheese-weighing rights in 1395; farmers still bring wheels to the Gouda cheese market for ritual hand-clap bargaining.
How is Gouda cheese made?
The milk is set with rennet, the curd cut, and part of the whey drawn off and replaced with hot water — a washing step that lowers acidity and gives Gouda its sweet, nutty character. The curd is pressed into wheels, brined for days, and ripened for a month to several years, during which tyrosine crystals form in the older wheels. It takes four weeks for young, one to four years for aged.
Can I make Gouda cheese at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. The washed-curd step depends on controlling acidity and temperature to a narrow range, and the wheels ripen for months or years in a store held at a steady temperature and humidity.
What goes into Gouda cheese?
Cow’s milk, rennet, a mesophilic starter culture, salt, wax or a natural rind.
How is Gouda cheese eaten?
Sliced on bread for breakfast, cubed with mustard as a borrel snack, or shaved in shards when old.
