Cheese, cheese, cheese, who doesn’t like it? The Netherlands is also known as the real cheese country and we owe that name to all the tasty cheeses we make. Young cheese, farmer’s cheese, matured cheese or goat cheese, plenty of choice to choose from. You can also eat cheese in many different ways. The most common way is on bread. A nice slice (or slices) on your bread with some butter underneath and you have a delicious breakfast or lunch. If you prefer something more savory, a cracker with cheese is also highly recommended. And of course you can eat cheese in many more ways, melted, in cubes or in a salad.
Dutch cheese types
With a real cheese history and good dairy production, the Netherlands is almost the most famous cheese country in the world. But what are really Dutch cheeses? The first real Gouda cheese. Every week you will find an old-fashioned cheese market in the city center of Gouda with many different types of cheeses. That is why the Gouda cheese is really worth a try. And then of course the real farmers cheese. Farmer’s cheese is an artisan cheese that has been handed down for generations. Each farmer’s family makes its own farm cheese in a traditional way. The cheeses are made from fresh milk and have a regional flavor. Goat cheese is a cheese that you may not immediately expect to come from the Netherlands. But you can buy goat cheese in many different places in the Netherlands. As the name suggests, goat cheese is not made with cow’s milk, but with goat’s milk. Goat cheese is available in different variants. From soft to very hard, from short ripened to long ripened and from washed rind to without rind. Goat cheese has a special taste and not everyone is fond of it. But once you start it is hard to stay away from it …
Foreign cheeses
But also here in the Netherlands we occasionally eat cheese from abroad. Think for example of the Greek Feta cheese or a nice piece of French brie. But something we also often have on the table is Parmesan cheese. We often process this delicious Italian cheese into a pasta, but it is also very tasty as a piece on its own. That is why it really belongs on a cheese platter. Add some tasty nuts, grapes and chutney and the bubbling can begin. Due to the slightly spicy / spicy taste of this cheese, it is not for everyone.
