ARTICLE: Gouda, Holland’s Most Famous Cheese
Most people are familiar with small, red-waxed Goudas from the supermarket. We’ve found glorious Goudas that will change your mind about this cheese. |
As with neckties, politics and diets, various cheeses go in and out of fashion. The best-known cheese from The Netherlands, Gouda’s reputation has been in decline for some time. Some connoisseurs sniff that it’s a bland cheese with no character. It’s true that most Goudas are milder cheeses, smooth-textured and even buttery. Mass-produced Goudas, which are the only kind most Americans have experienced, can indeed be lackluster and dull. But there’s a whole little world of small creameries out there, producing Goudas in more varieties than you knew existed. And aged Goudas, which too few Americans have tasted, are a thing of beauty, with crunchy, tyrosine crystals and the taste of caramel. By the way, Holland is a southern region of The Netherlands, where Gouda originated. Since Gouda was never name protected, cheese called Gouda can be made anywhere in the world. Some fine artisan Goudas are made in the U.S., as you’ll discover in this article. Go Gouda—read all about it. Discover many other fine cheeses, and learn a lot about cheese, in the Cheese Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. | |