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Holland’s most famous cheese is also one of the world’s most widely produced cheeses. Along with Edam, Gouda is one of a handful of cheeses that is known even by the most tepid cheese consumer, those who know little or nothing about cheese. For centuries, cheese has been an important part of the economy of the tiny country of The Netherlands, which is equally famous for producing some of the world’s greatest artists (Rembrandt and Van Gogh as notable examples), for inventing gin, for their heroic efforts to hold back the sea with their famous dykes, and, of course, for their magnificent tulips. They were also among the first nations to explore the spice route and to establish colonies abroad, and it was the Dutch that first brought tea back to Europe from China, thus introducing one of the world’s great beverages to the Western world.

Gouda is made from whole cow’s milk and, like Edam, is named for the town in which it was first traded, and where many of the cheese-weighing houses of the 17th and 18th centuries, or kaaswaag, are still in use today. Most of Holland’s current cheese production is highly mechanized — it turns out tons of good, consistent, although somewhat unexciting versions of both Gouda and Edam, cheeses that were once very distinctive, both on their own and from each other. There remains, however, a tradition of farmhouse Gouda made by hand on small family farms from unpasteurized milk, often from the farmers’ own herds. Boorenkaas, or “farmer’s cheese,” is the name for these traditionally made Goudas whose flavor harks back to centuries past. Made in wheels weighing between 10 and 200 pounds, Boorenkaas is aged for a minimum of three months and up to three years. Aged Gouda, especially that made from raw milk, takes on a lovely sweet, nutty, caramel-like flavor that is seen in cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano. Boorenkaas is only made from May through October when the cows are allowed to graze in the lush green fields that are influenced by low-lying peat bogs. There are also several excellent aged Goudas made in the United States, as well as many ordinary versions, usually wrapped in the familiar red wax coating. Aged Gouda is an excellent cheese for the cooler fall and winter months, is great for snacks and sandwiches, and is a terrific cooking cheese (see recipe on page 20), and when fully aged, it’s a great grating cheese as well. Both mild forms of Gouda and aged varieties go well with an assortment of foods, such as fresh fruit, nuts, deli meats, and other cheeses on a cheese board. Young Gouda goes best with beer or light, fruity wines. Aged versions want something more substantial like full-bodied red wines and darker, heartier beers. And don’t forget the tulips.