Gouda cheese | |
---|---|
Other names | Goudse Kaas |
Country of origin | Netherlands |
Region | South Holland |
Town | Gouda |
Source of milk | Cows |
Pasteurised | Possibly |
Texture | Semi-hard to hard |
Aging time | 1-36 months |
Named after | Gouda |
Related media on Commons |
Gouda cheese ( /ˈɡaʊdə/ , US also /ˈɡuːdə/ , Dutch: [ˈɣʌudaː] ; Dutch : Goudse kaas, "cheese from Gouda") is a creamy, yellow cow's milk cheese originating from the Netherlands. [1] It is one of the most popular and produced cheeses worldwide. [2] [3] The name is used today as a general term for numerous similar cheeses produced in the traditional Dutch manner. [4]
The cheese is named after the city of Gouda, South Holland [5] because it was traded there. In the Middle Ages, Dutch cities could obtain certain feudal rights which gave them primacy or a total monopoly on certain goods. Within the County of Holland, Gouda acquired market rights on cheese, the sole right to have a market in which the county's farmers could sell their cheese.[ citation needed ] All the cheeses would be taken to the market square in Gouda to be sold. Teams consisting of the guild of cheese-porters, identified by distinct differently coloured straw hats, carried the farmers' cheeses, which typically weighed about 16 kg (35 lb), in barrows. Buyers then sampled the cheeses and negotiated a price using a ritual bargaining system called handjeklap in which buyers and sellers clap each other's hands and shout out various prices. Once a price was agreed upon, the porters would carry the cheese to the weighing house and complete the sale. [6] [7] Modern Gouda had evolved by the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. [8]
Cheesemaking traditionally was a woman's task in Dutch culture, with farmers' wives passing their cheesemaking skills onto their daughters. Most Dutch Gouda is now produced industrially. However, some 300 Dutch farmers still produce boerenkaas ("farmer's cheese"), which is a protected form of Gouda made in the traditional manner, using unpasteurised milk.
Various sources suggest that the term Gouda refers more to a general style of cheesemaking rather than to a specific kind of cheese, pointing to its taste, which varies with age. [9] Young (and factory-produced) Gouda has been described as having a flavour that is "lightly fudgy with nuts, but very, very, very mild", while a more mature farmhouse Gouda has a "lovely fruity tang" with a "sweet finish", that may take on "an almost butterscotch flavour" if aged over two years. [10]
After cultured milk is curdled, some of the whey is drained and water is added to the batch. This is called "washing the curd"; it creates a sweeter cheese by removing some of the lactose, resulting in a reduction of lactic acid produced. [11] About 10% of the mixture is curds, which are pressed into circular moulds for several hours. These moulds are the essential reason behind its traditional, characteristic shape. The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution, which gives the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste. [12]
The cheese is dried for a few days before being coated with a yellow wax or plastic-like [13] coating to prevent it from drying out. It is then aged, which hardens the cheese and develops its flavor. Dutch cheese makers generally use six gradations, or categories, to classify the cheese:
As it ages, it develops a caramel sweetness and has a slight crunchiness from cheese crystals, especially in older cheeses. In the Netherlands, cubes of Gouda are often eaten as a snack served with Dutch mustard. Older varieties are sometimes topped with sugar or apple butter. Cubes of Gouda are commonly served as a snack along with beer in traditional Dutch Brown Bars.
The amount of moisture that is present in Gouda cheese plays an important part in determining its texture; cheeses that include higher moisture levels tend to be softer and more creamy, whilst cheeses that have a lower moisture levels tend to be stiffer and may develop a crystalline structure as they age. In most cases, Gouda cheese has a high moisture content, falling in the range of 40% to 50%. [14]
A cheese's fat content not only contributes to its texture, but also contributes to its flavor, and affects its melting properties. [15] The fat content allows for the transportation and release of flavour-enhancing chemicals, increasing the cheese's overall flavour profile. Gouda cheese has a variable fat content, typically ranging from 20% to 40%. [16]
Certain aroma-active chemicals found in Gouda cheese are responsible for the cheese's distinctive flavour, which can be traced back to six components:
Casein (the primary protein found in cows' milk) is the predominant type of protein found in gouda cheese, leading to the cheese's high protein content. During the manufacturing process, casein coagulates to create curds, contributing to the cheese's stiffness and overall structure. [17]
Gouda cheese is recognised for its diverse flavour profile. Depending on its age, Gouda cheese can exhibit a wide range of flavour qualities: from mild and creamy, to harsh and acidic. These flavours develop as Gouda cheeses reach the medium stage of maturation; showing extra whey, sour aromatics, and a somewhat cooked or milky essence are indicators of the cheese's increasing complexity. [14] Matured Gouda has a rich, caramel-like flavour, developed after prolonged ripening, along with brothy and malty or nutty undertones. [18] Depending on how long the cheese has been aged, the finish can range from silky to sharp.
Gouda cheese has a solid and springy texture. [19] Young Gouda cheese often has a smooth, creamy texture and a pale ivory to light yellow colour. Over time, the cheese's appearance changes into a richer golden hue, and its texture becomes more crumbly and firm. Gouda cheese obtains a harder, crystalline appearance as it ages, [20] where small crystals may be visible. [21]
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Should use {{ Infobox nutritional value }}.(October 2023) |
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some of the Gouda cheese nutritional facts are listed below. [16]
Protein | 24.9 | g | Vitamin B12 | 1.54 | μg | |
Fats | 27.7 | g | Vitamin A, RAE | 165 | μg | |
Carbohydrates | 2.22 | g | Vitamin A, IU | 563 | IU | |
Sugars | 2.22 | g | Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.24 | mg | |
Calcium, Ca | 700 | mg | Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 20 | IU | |
Iron, Fe | 0.24 | mg | Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 0.5 | μg | |
Magnesium, Mg | 29 | mg | Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) | 0.5 | μg | |
Sodium, Na | 819 | mg | Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 2.3 | μg |
The term "Gouda" is not restricted to cheese of Dutch origin. [22] However, "Boerenkaas", "Noord-Hollandse Gouda", and "Gouda Holland" are protected geographical indications in the European Union. [23] [24] These cheeses can only be made in the Netherlands (although not only in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland, in which Gouda is situated) and can only use milk produced by Dutch cows. [25] [26]
Brie is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated. It is pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under a rind of white mould. The rind is typically eaten, with its flavour depending largely upon the ingredients used and its manufacturing environment. It is similar to Camembert, which is native to a different region of France. Brie typically contains between 60% and 75% butterfat, slightly higher than Camembert.
Halloumi or haloumi is a cheese that originated in Cyprus. It is made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. Its texture is described as squeaky. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled, a property that makes it a popular meat substitute. Rennet is used to curdle the milk in halloumi production, although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.
Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavour and a creamy, heterogeneous, soupy texture, made from skimmed milk. An essential step in the manufacturing process distinguishing cottage cheese from other fresh cheeses is the addition of a "dressing" to the curd grains, usually cream, which is mainly responsible for the taste of the product. Cottage cheese is not aged.
Caerphilly is a hard, crumbly white cheese that originated in the area around the town of Caerphilly, Wales. It is thought to have been created to provide food for the local coal miners. The Caerphilly of that period had a greater moisture content, and was made in local farms. At the start of the 20th century, competition for milk in the local area saw production decline, and Caerphilly production was gradually relocated to England.
Red Leicester is an English cheese similar to Cheddar cheese, but crumbly in texture. It is typically aged 6 to 12 months. The rind is reddish-orange with a powdery mould on it. Since the 18th century, it has been coloured orange by the addition of annatto extract during manufacture. It is a cow's milk cheese, and is named after the city of Leicester, or the ceremonial county it is located in, Leicestershire.
Lancashire is an English cow's-milk cheese from the county of Lancashire. There are three distinct varieties of Lancashire cheese. Young Creamy Lancashire and mature Tasty Lancashire are produced by a traditional method, whereas Crumbly Lancashire is a more recent creation suitable for mass production.
Camembert is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look, taste and texture to brie cheese, albeit with a slightly lower butterfat content than brie's typical 20% – 25% by weight.
Leyden, from Dutch: Leidse kaas, is a semi-hard, cumin and caraway seed flavoured cheese made in the Netherlands from cow's milk. It is made both in factories and on farms, historically in the Leiden area.
Cheesemaking is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrated form. Cheesemaking allows the production of the cheese with diverse flavors and consistencies.
Dutch cuisine is formed from the cooking traditions and practices of the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by its location on the fertile Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta at the North Sea, giving rise to fishing, farming, and overseas trade. Due to the availability of water and flat grassland, the Dutch diet contains many dairy products such as butter and cheese. The court of the Burgundian Netherlands enriched the cuisine of the elite in the Low Countries in the 15th and 16th century, so did in the 17th and 18th century colonial trade, when the Dutch ruled the spice trade, played a pivotal role in the global spread of coffee, and started the modern era of chocolate, by developing the Dutch process chocolate.
Blue cheese is any of a wide range of cheeses made with the addition of cultures of edible molds, which create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. Blue cheeses vary in taste from very mild to strong, and from slightly sweet to salty or sharp; in colour from pale to dark; and in consistency from liquid to hard. They may have a distinctive smell, either from the mold or from various specially cultivated bacteria such as Brevibacterium linens.
The manufacture of Cheddar cheese includes the process of cheddaring, which makes this cheese unique. Cheddar cheese is named for the village of Cheddar in Somerset in South West England where it was originally manufactured. The manufacturing of this cheese has since spread around the world and thus the name has become generically known.
Parrano cheese is a cow milk cheese produced in the Netherlands. It tastes mild and nutty, combining salty and sweet flavours. It has a semi-firm texture and a smooth, golden coloured paste. Made from pasteurized milk, Parrano is produced in 20 lb (9.1 kg) wheels and is aged for 5 months.
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk. During production, milk is usually acidified and either the enzymes of rennet or bacterial enzymes with similar activity are added to cause the casein to coagulate. The solid curds are then separated from the liquid whey and pressed into finished cheese. Some cheeses have aromatic molds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout.
There are many different types of cheese. Cheeses can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as length of fermentation, texture, methods of production, fat content, animal milk, and country or region of origin. The method most commonly and traditionally used is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods. The criteria may either be used singly or in combination, with no single method being universally used.
Swaledale is a full fat hard cheese produced in the town of Richmond in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, England. The cheese is produced from cows’ milk, Swaledale sheep's milk and goats’ milk.
Cheese ripening, alternatively cheese maturation or affinage, is a process in cheesemaking. It is responsible for the distinct flavour of cheese, and through the modification of "ripening agents", determines the features that define many different varieties of cheeses, such as taste, texture, and body. The process is "characterized by a series of complex physical, chemical and microbiological changes" that incorporates the agents of "bacteria and enzymes of the milk, lactic culture, rennet, lipases, added moulds or yeasts, and environmental contaminants". The majority of cheese is ripened, except for fresh cheese.
Beemster cheese is a hard, Dutch cow's milk cheese. Production of Beemster is similar to other hard cheeses such as Gouda. The specific taste of Beemster stems from the ingredients, that part of the production process is done by hand, and that the cheeses are ripened in changing conditions.
Boerenkaas is a Dutch cheese, most of which is handmade from raw milk. The milk may be from cows, goats, sheep or buffalo; at least half of it must be from the farm where the cheese is made. The cheese may also contain cumin or other seeds, herbs, and spices.