Real Gouda Cheese

Real Gouda Cheese is only made in Groot Gouda, in the International Democratic Union. It is the winner of the 2006 International Democratic Union Cheese Festival award for Best IDU Cheese.

History

The Gouda city region has been a cheese-producing region from very early times. With the growth of the city and other important cities in the early Groot Gouda empire, the demand for cow-related products such as meat, leather and dairy increased greatly. So did the variety in cheeses. In Groot Gouda, the name "Gouda" for cheese and cheese-related products is reserved for the cheeses made in Gouda City's surrounding provinces (North and South Illians, Eastmeadow to the east and Shortfields and Gowlands to the west), and stringent checks on the typical procedure are made to ensure that it is real Gouda Cheese. The distinct flavour is said to come from the minerals in the clay from the rivers Gow and Ysle which run through the area. It's not a surprise that these rivers, despite their importance for traffic and transport, are monitored by the Groot Gouda Environmental Department more than the other rivers.

Oddly, Gouda cheese was never actually made in Gouda City. It was and still is the major marketplace for them, and that's why the name Gouda Cheese has stuck. A difference is sometimes made between the Gowlands cheese and the Eastmeadow varieties.

Flavor

Real Gouda Cheese has a distinct arome that takes you back hundres of years, to the flavours of old rural Gouda. Gouda Cheeses are rich in fat (especially the Eastmeadow varieties) giving it a rich creamy flavour.

Varieties

Eastmeadow Gouda Cheese

Eat this one young. It will nearly melt on the tip of your tongue, and spread its delicious rich flavour snoothly through your mouth. Eastmeadow varieties have a high fat percentage and are slightly salty, caused by the local soil. Eastmeadow is the province with the most cheese-producing farms in Groot Gouda and in spring, the Grass Cheese Festival (celebration of the first fresh cheeses in the season) is the major happening in the region.

Old Gower

This cheese has lived a life, and you'll know it. It has seen things, been at places, and lived a life of happiness. The saying goes that an Old Gower is like an excellent wine: best left for a few years before it's really good. Because of the fat content, it will remain creamy even if it's al older cheese. Ideal for the traditional way to eat Gouda Cheese, in slices. It has spicy undertones but isn't as salt as an Eastmeadow Gouda.