Gouda Cheese
Soft Creamy and Delicious

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gouda Cheese
Named after the Dutch town of Gouda, it makes up more than 60 percent of the cheese produced in Holland. It comes shaped in a wheel coated in wax. It's is an excellent cheese to serve your guests on a cheese plate. It has a wonderful sweet flavor and a melt in your mouth texture. It works well in many recipes calling for cheese.

The Dutch have been making farmhouse Gouda cheese for many years. The fertile soil allows the cows to produce very rich milk, which turns into delicious creamy cheese.

Gouda is made from milk that is heated until the curds become separate from the whey. Most of the whey is drained. Water is then added to rinse the curd. This process creates a sweeter cheese, since washing gets rid of some of the lactic acid that is produced by the bacteria feeding on it. 10% of the remaining mixture is curd. They are pressed into round moulds for several hours.

It's then immersed in a brine solution giving it a distinctive flavor. The cheese is then dried for a few days and then aged. The younger Gouda is milder and creamier. However, when it's aged at least a year, it takes on a cheddar like flavor.

Gouda is also made in the United States, this version is rarely aged and is very mild. Gouda is good with beer, red wine and dark bread. The Dutch make a dish called kaasdoop, it's a Gouda Fondue served with potatoes and rye bread.

 

 

 

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