People & Place
Dutch, Belgian and German Cheeses
Explore Dutch, Belgian and German cheeses through their names, styles and the questions that help distinguish them. Begin with Gouda, then follow the reading order below or choose a name you want to understand.
Noord-Hollandse Gouda
An ivory to yellow cut face, a smooth yellow rind, and a decision to make at the counter.
Edam
Small boats arrive laden with cheeses.
Noord-Hollandse Edammer
Bend a slice of Noord-Hollandse Edammer and watch it yield.
Leyden
Beside the cheese vat on a farm around Leiden sits a butter churn.
Boerenkaas
At milking, the clock starts ticking.
Maasdam
Cut into a wheel of Maasdam and those great rounded holes stop you mid-slice.
Everything in this section
- LimburgerThe scent reaches you before the first bite.
- Fromage de HerveBefore your knife reaches the soft centre, the aroma has already introduced itself.
- Allgäuer EmmentalerTwo Swiss dairymen arrive in Weiler in 1821, carrying cheesemaking knowledge into the western Allgäu.
- Allgäuer BergkäseA 15 to 50 kg wheel lands on the counter.
- TilsitYour knife slips through a yellow-brown to reddish rind into pale, supple cheese, its surface scattered with ragged slit
- QuarkA spoonful of quark beside boiled potatoes, a scattering of chopped chives: you are halfway to a little German comfort.
- Hollandse GeitenkaasCut into a wheel of Hollandse Geitenkaas and that familiar Dutch outline gives way to something paler: white cheese, sha
- Handkäse and HarzerYour knife cuts through a fully mature Handkäse or Harzer, revealing a yellow, slightly translucent interior.
- ButterkäseYour knife slips through Butterkäse, leaving a supple slice with a gentle flavour and buttery character.
- Altenburger ZiegenkäseCut into Altenburger Ziegenkäse and caraway makes its entrance.
- KanterkaasLet your eye travel down a wheel of Kanterkaas.
- Nieheimer KäseCut into a little round of Nieheimer Käse and you may find caraway dotted through its compact heart.
- Odenwälder FrühstückskäseCut into a young Odenwälder Frühstückskäse and a white, quark-like centre greets your knife.