Gouda cheese

Gouda cheese is a hard product made from cow's milk with a fat content of 45 to 51%. Only real gourmets can truly appreciate the incredible taste of real young cheese.

Gouda cheese: history of creation

The history of the origin of the famous cheese began in the Dutch city of Gouda. For centuries, the delicious product was sold in local markets, and at the end of the 19th century it became widespread. For quite a long time, gouda was produced in large heads of 12 kg, but only now they began to produce it in 4.5 kg sizes. The first mention of this product can be found in the chronicles of 1184, although even during the Gallic War, Julius Caesar spoke in his notes about the delicious Dutch cheese and promised to find out its recipe.

Appearance

Many cheese makers claim that Gouda cheese is one of the lightest and most unobtrusive in taste. Its crust should be moderately dense, without cracks or tears. The inside of the head is golden-yellow in color, uniform with small holes.

You can find out what real Gouda cheese tastes and looks like (photo below) either in Holland or in European cheese brand stores.

The longer the cheese ages, the drier and richer it becomes.

Varieties

Of course, the first cheese was absolutely ordinary, without any additions. Made by hand, at home. After some time, a variety of cheese appeared, which was called “Dutch Master”. The peculiarity of this product was that it matured for a whole year, due to which it had a very rich taste and smell, and also had a fairly solid consistency. Gourmets preferred to consume this variety with wine or other alcoholic beverages.

In Holland, farmers have been producing spicy Gouda cheese since 1297, the recipe for which is still followed today. It was even identified as a separate species - “Burenkas”. This is a special farm variety of cheese that is produced by about 300 farms throughout Holland. This product is made from unpasteurized milk and is considered a delicacy throughout the world.

On store shelves you can find it with cumin and mustard, herbs and other spices. This cheese is produced in Russia under the brand name “Russian Gouda”.

It should be noted that the word “Gouda” itself is not a trademark, so any company and country can produce cheese delicacies with this name according to its own recipes.

The only confirmation that Gouda cheese was produced in Holland is the Noord-Hollandse Gouda trademark, which is officially registered in the European Union. Currently, gouda is divided into varieties based on readiness time:

1. The youngest is 4 weeks.
2. 8-10 weeks - young.
3. 16-18 weeks - average.
4. 7-8 months - aged.
5. 10-12 months.
6. Over 18 months.

Dairy products also differ in the weight of the head. Traditionally, the weight of the finished cheese is 12 or 6 kg. However, some manufacturers produce it with a minimum weight of 500 grams, and in industrial production up to 40 kg of product is extracted from molds.

Each head of Gouda cheese has a manufacturer’s stamp indicating the country, aging time, calorie content and some other features. On industrial cheeses the stamp is round, and on farm cheeses it is square.

Making Dutch cheese

Cheese making recipes are passed down from generation to generation. Every Dutch family has peculiarities or secrets of preparing the product. Today, Gouda cheese is made by adding a starter or bacteria to milk, which is heated until the whey separates.

The cottage cheese must be washed to remove the acid, which gives the cheese an unpleasant bitterness. Not only the calorie content of the finished product, but also its taste directly depends on the fat content and quality of milk. Then the cottage cheese is packaged in round molds of various volumes and placed under a press for 2-3 hours. The finished head must first be washed with saline solution to form a crust and add flavor. Then the cheese is sent for aging.

Interestingly, 800 years ago it was prepared from fresh milk and washed with sea water, due to which the product had a delicate creamy taste.

Beneficial features

Nutritionists believe that when we eat 50 grams of cheese, we drink 500 ml of milk. It contains all the beneficial microelements, like other dairy products, but they are absorbed easier and faster due to special “cheese” bacteria.

Gouda cheese is useful for weight loss; its calorie content does not exceed 356 kcal per 100 grams, but its value for the body is very high. The product contains vitamins B, A, C and D, as well as calcium, selenium and other trace elements.

It is important to eat cheese correctly. It must be warmed to room temperature and eaten in the first half of the day - this is the only way to get the maximum benefit from this product.

But the cheese crust, so beloved by many, is better not to eat. It contains many substances formed during the ripening process of cheese, which will not benefit the body.

Gouda cheese: gourmet reviews of different varieties

Today it is rare to find truly high-quality and tasty cheese in a regular store. Modern manufacturers, trying to reduce the cost of the product, make it almost tasteless.

Most often on the shelves you can find domestically produced Gouda cheese, which has absolutely nothing in common with its Dutch counterpart. It looks like it has virtually no cavities and is of medium hardness.

Most buyers prefer European-made Gouda cheese. The price-quality ratio of these products corresponds. Taste properties are close to quality standards.

However, if you want to try really tasty and real cheese, then you need to look for a Dutch-made product with a characteristic trademark.

Gouda cheese is a hard variety that ripens naturally. It is prepared from whole cow's milk. This is probably the most popular cheese produced in Holland.

To produce this product, classical technology is used. To begin with, pasteurized milk, the fat content of which should not be more than 3.9%, but not less than 3.7%, is combined with rennet and starter culture. After the mass begins to curdle, it is heated, and the curds are collected and washed. They are then formed into heads, which are placed under a press to get rid of the whey. After this, the heads are sent to brine for several days.

Next, the cheese is dried until a crust forms on the surface and placed in special storage facilities in which high humidity is maintained - approximately 90% and a temperature of about 13 degrees. Gouda cheese takes from 1 to 9 months to mature.

Depending on the ripening period, Gouda cheese is divided into:

• young – up to 8 weeks;
• medium – up to 6 months;
• old – up to 8 months.

Traditional heads are available in stores, the weight of which varies from 12 to 15 kg; in addition, you can find options designed specifically for tourists weighing 0.5 kg, as well as intermediate options weighing 5 kg. Round heads have hewn edges. Real Gouda cheese is pale yellow in color and has a firm pulp consistency with a pattern of evenly distributed eyes (see photo). Depending on aging, the taste of the product becomes more spicy and rich. Today on store shelves you can find cheeses with additives, smoked, lightly salted, farm, unripe, as well as those that are intended for pizza and melt well.

How to choose and how to store this cheese at home?

To purchase high-quality Gouda cheese, you need to pay attention to several important aspects:

• Fresh product will have an elastic consistency, which can be tested by pressing on the surface. In addition, there should be no moisture on the crust.
• Look at the cut of the cheese - the eyes should be perfectly shaped with smooth edges. They should also be evenly distributed along the cut and not reach 1 cm to the edge.
• High-quality cheese should have a characteristic yellow color, which becomes richer as the product matures. Remember that the color should change simultaneously with the hardness of the cheese mass.
• To preserve the product, it is coated with a layer of paraffin. If you see damage on the surface, then it is better to refuse the purchase, since harmful substances could get into the cheese through them.
• It is best to buy cheese in round heads rather than in blocks, as in this case the quality will be much better. Ask the seller to cut the cheese from a large head in front of you.

Since Gouda cheese is a naturally ripened product, it must be stored properly. If the temperature varies from 2 to 6 degrees, then at home it will retain its freshness for six months. It’s also worth considering that Gouda cheese absorbs odors very quickly, so be careful what you put next to it. This product is not suitable for freezing, as water crystals destroy the cheese mass.

How to check the quality?

To test the Gouda cheese you buy, try it. A distinct bitterness indicates the low quality of the raw materials used or a violation of the production technology. Now cut a piece - the cheese should not stick to the knife and crumble. Then bend the slice; it should be flexible and not break. Otherwise, you can be sure that vegetable fats were used during the production of this cheese.

Composition and beneficial properties of Gouda cheese

The benefits of Gouda cheese are determined by the composition of vitamins, minerals and other substances. Thanks to the calcium and phosphorus content, bone tissue regeneration is activated and the skeleton is strengthened. Gouda cheese contains vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on vision. The presence of vitamin D reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and vitamin E has a positive effect on the skin. This product also contains B vitamins, which normalize the activity of the nervous system and improve brain function, which in turn allows you to get rid of insomnia and fatigue, and also increase stress resistance.

Gouda cheese has the ability to restore strength after physical activity, which means it is recommended to be consumed when playing sports. This product contains choline, which lowers cholesterol levels and has a positive effect on carbohydrate metabolism. Gouda cheese also contains sodium, which improves the functioning of the nervous system. It also contains magnesium, which is necessary for the heart, as well as potassium, which normalizes the activity of the cardiovascular system.

Use in cooking

Gouda cheese can almost always be found on cheese plates and is also served as an appetizer. In addition, this product is included in the recipe for numerous salads, sauces, as well as for cooking meat, pizza, casseroles, etc.

The harm of Gouda cheese and its calorie content

Gouda cheese can be harmful to people with individual intolerance to the product. It is not recommended to use a product with a pungent taste for gastritis, ulcers, hypertension and edema. People who are watching their figure or suffering from obesity should not eat high-fat varieties of Gouda cheese due to their high calorie content.

Gouda – the many-faced queen of Dutch cheeses

History and geography of the product

Cheese transported by sea from Gouda in 1184 is mentioned in the port documents of Rotterdam. And only from the 13th century the local variety of cheese was first talked about throughout the country, and then in other parts of Europe. During the Middle Ages, gouda became one of the most important sources of income for the city, located at the intersection of many transport routes. To Gouda to the cheese market, Goudse kaasmarkt, many merchants began to gather, and over time a tradition developed here that is still observed today. For many centuries in a row, every Thursday in one of the central squares of the city all farmers and cheese makers from all over the area gather to present their wealth - large heads of cheese. Cheese in Gouda has always been treated with incredible love and respect. For twelve-kilogram heads, special wooden stretchers were invented, the weight of each of them was checked in a weighing room organized right there. And a special cheese inspector monitored the transactions concluded at the fair and the quality of the goods.

The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, the development of technology and transport gradually reduced the dependence of cheese makers on the Thursday fair. But the market is not forgotten; in the warm months it welcomes guests every week. True, today these are not merchants, but tourists from all over the world who come to see the homeland of cheese, which is among the top ten in popularity. Unlike the famous Roquefort, which is protected by an appellation, Dutch cheese does not have such a certificate, so Gouda is produced not only in its homeland, but throughout the world. Cheesemakers from Germany, Finland and the Baltic states, Sweden and Poland, Ukraine and Russia offer their own versions of the famous cheese. But more often, foreign companies produce only young cheese and its simplest varieties.

A best gouda Still done in the south of the Netherlands. The numbers also speak to this. More than 50% of the cheese exported by the Netherlands is gouda. The country's cheesemakers are working tirelessly to create new types of the famous Gouda. And so that guests who come to her homeland feel the character of the cheese and love it like the Dutch themselves, local craftsmen have mastered the production of tiny, half-kilogram heads.

Types and varieties

In the homeland of Gouda, there is a rather complex cheese classification system. Depending on the aging period, it is divided into several varieties:
young cheese aged 4 weeks;
young mature cheese has an aging period of 8 to 10 weeks;
mature gouda– from 16 to 18 weeks;
mature extra– up to 8 months;
aged cheese waits in the wings for 10 to 12 months;
very old cheese has been aged for over a year.

Young cheese is strikingly different from its aged counterpart not only in taste and aroma, but also in appearance. Young Gouda is distinguished by red wax, mature cheese is coated with yellow, and the heads of aged ones are completely black. Today, the technology for producing gouda from goat's milk has also been mastered; this cheese comes in a white shell.

Today's gourmets can try low-fat and lightly salted cheese, choose Gouda, whose taste is enriched with herbs and fenugreek seeds, cloves, sweet pepper and cumin.

Gouda smoked in stone ovens and Leiden cheese with cumin are among the most popular types. Pizza lovers can find varieties of Gouda designed specifically for this popular dish. And recently, cheese makers have pleased adherents of Japanese cuisine by releasing cheese with added wasabi. This young cheese is aged no longer than 2 or 4 weeks and has an unusual green color and a pungent taste characteristic of Japanese horseradish.

Despite the mass production of young cheese produced at large industrial enterprises, in Holland and throughout the world it is most valued Boerenkaas. This is a farm cheese, which, using centuries-old technology, is produced by 300 farms in the vicinity of Gouda. For cheese, only fresh milk that has not been pasteurized is used. And such gouda has the status Noord-Hollandse Gouda, confirming the provenance of the world-famous cheese.

Beneficial features

Gouda is able to quickly supply the body with energy and restore strength without harming carbohydrate metabolism or increasing cholesterol levels. Magnesium, which is part of cheese, is important for the functioning of the heart, while potassium is important for controlling fluid levels in the body and the functioning of the vascular system.

Taste qualities

Firm, light yellow, ripe gouda is no longer distinguished by a soft, but a rich or even spicy taste, from which the creamy note does not disappear. And aged cheese loses moisture so much that it becomes prickly and brittle, very similar to Parmesan. At the same time, a slight bitterness appears in the cheese, combined with the inherent nutty or creamy aftertaste of the cheese.

The cheese opens most fully at room temperature if it is cut not into thin slices, but into small, hazelnut-sized cubes.

Use in cooking

The Dutch are fans of rich, varied food, so cheese can be found here in potato and cereal casseroles, thick soups, favorite meat salads and omelettes. At the same time, residents of the Netherlands agree with the opinion of the French, who believe that a dessert without cheese is equivalent to an eyeless beauty. Cubes of young Gouda can be served with slices of fruit or nuts with a light white wine. Aged Gouda is often served with bitter beers and dry red wine.

The cheese goes well with all types of meat and poultry, potatoes and vegetables. The Dutch often serve gouda with vegetable marinades, boiled tongue and sausages.

Having become popular all over the world, this cheese has harmoniously entered many national dishes of other peoples. Gouda is added to pizza, pasta and risotto; fondue from young cheese of this variety is also very tender.

You've probably heard about the Dutch Gouda cheese, but we would like to dedicate today's story to this particular cheese. Gouda (Dutch Goudse kaas (“cheese from Gouda”), English Gouda) is a yellow cheese made from cow’s milk. The cheese is named after the city of Gouda, located in the Netherlands, but this name is not protected. Gouda cheese is produced and sold throughout the world.

Production:

The milk is heated until the whey separates from the curd mass. Some of the whey is then drained and some water is added. This procedure is called “washing the curd.” Thanks to it, the cheese turns out sweeter, since some of the lactic acid is washed out from the curd mass. Cottage cheese makes up about 10% of the entire mixture. Next, the curd mass is placed under a press in round molds for several hours. In these forms the cheese takes on its traditional, characteristic shape. The cheese is then soaked in a saline solution, which gives the pulp and rind a distinctive flavor. Then the cheese is dried for several days. After some time, the cheese is covered to protect it from drying out while aging. Depending on the classification, the cheese matures from several weeks to 7 years or more. During the aging process, the sweetness of the caramel develops, and sometimes the texture becomes slightly crunchy. This is due to the salt-like lactate or tyrosine crystals that form in aged cheese.

Today “Gouda” is a universal name given to cheeses of any production, not necessarily Dutch. At the same time, the name “Noord-Hollandse Gouda” is registered in the EU and has the status of protected geographical origin. This cheese was originally produced in the city of Gouda, which is located in the Dutch province of South Holland. Therefore the registered name which mentions North Holland appears to be incorrect. However, North Holland is famous for the best pastures in the Netherlands.

There are a number of varieties of Gouda cheese that vary in age. For example, "Graskaas", "Jong", "Jong belegen", "Belegen", "Extra belegen", "Oud" and "Extra oud". "Graskaas" is the youngest cheese, and "Extra oud" is the most aged. The longer the cheese is aged, the saltier the flavor and the firmer the texture. Young cheese has a creamy taste.

Exported Gouda cheese comes in two varieties: young and aged. Cheese that matures for 1-6 months is considered young. It has rich yellow flesh and is covered with red or yellow paraffin wax on top. This cheese is easy to cut with a slicer.

Aged cheese is somewhat bitter, but its taste still remains creamy. This cheese is easily recognized by its black wax. Aged Gouda has a richer flavor. This is also a hard cheese, but it is too brittle. Therefore, using a slicer is quite difficult. It is much easier to cut the slices with a knife. Aged Gouda is often cut into cubes and served with drinks. Popular variations of this cheese include smoked Gouda and Leiden cheese.

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Gouda cheese, hard Dutch cheese, m.d.z. 47% dry in-ve rich in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin A - 18.3%, vitamin B2 - 18.6%, vitamin B12 - 51.3%, calcium - 70%, phosphorus - 68.3%, selenium - 26.4% , zinc - 32.5%

What are the benefits of Gouda cheese, hard Dutch cheese, m.d.z. 47% dry in-ve

• Vitamin A responsible for normal development, reproductive function, skin and eye health, and maintaining immunity.
• Vitamin B2 participates in redox reactions, helps to increase the color sensitivity of the visual analyzer and dark adaptation. Insufficient intake of vitamin B2 is accompanied by impaired condition of the skin, mucous membranes, and impaired light and twilight vision.
• Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the metabolism and transformation of amino acids. Folate and vitamin B12 are interconnected vitamins that are involved in hematopoiesis. A lack of vitamin B12 leads to the development of partial or secondary folate deficiency, as well as anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia.
• Calcium is the main component of our bones, acts as a regulator of the nervous system, and is involved in muscle contraction. Calcium deficiency leads to demineralization of the spine, pelvic bones and lower extremities, increasing the risk of developing osteoporosis.
• Phosphorus takes part in many physiological processes, including energy metabolism, regulates acid-base balance, is part of phospholipids, nucleotides and nucleic acids, and is necessary for the mineralization of bones and teeth. Deficiency leads to anorexia, anemia, and rickets.
• Selenium- an essential element of the antioxidant defense system of the human body, has an immunomodulatory effect, participates in the regulation of the action of thyroid hormones. Deficiency leads to Kashin-Beck disease (osteoarthritis with multiple deformities of the joints, spine and limbs), Keshan disease (endemic myocardiopathy), and hereditary thrombasthenia.
• Zinc is part of more than 300 enzymes, participates in the processes of synthesis and breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, nucleic acids and in the regulation of the expression of a number of genes. Insufficient consumption leads to anemia, secondary immunodeficiency, liver cirrhosis, sexual dysfunction, and the presence of fetal malformations. Research in recent years has revealed the ability of high doses of zinc to disrupt the absorption of copper and thereby contribute to the development of anemia.

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