The Properties of Gouda

Gouda is nutty and melts easily.

Originally made on farms in Utrecht and South Holland (Zuid-Holland) in the Netherlands, most commercial Gouda is now produced in factories. Gouda's properties change dramatically, according to production method and maturity. Always nutty, mature farmhouse Gouda can also be somewhat fruity with a sweet finish. Cheese makers in Ireland, Wales and the U.S. all produce variations of this Dutch delight.

Types Of Gouda

Gouda made in factories is mild in taste. It can appear processed and springy, while farm-produced Gouda is hard and darker in color. Color is a sign of maturity; young Gouda is firm, but not hard, with pale yellow paste and few gas holes. Two notable Goudas produced on Dutch farms include Boerenkase (Gouda produced in large wheels) and the rich and nutty Kernhem, which was allegedly invented when cream-based Goudas over-ripened.

Making Gouda

Produced in flat wheels and typically coated in red or black wax, making farmhouse Gouda involves curdling milk and then separating the whey. Cheese makers add bacteria and rennet while warming the milk to encourage bacteria production. Separated from the whey, the curds are formed, pressed and brined. Turned daily, it takes at least six weeks to produce young Gouda -- longer for more mature -- and tastier -- cheese.

Classification And Properties

Cheese makers use rheological properties -- differences in deformation and flow -- to classify naturally produced cheeses. In Gouda, a manufacturing process that involves complete interior bacteria ripening produces distinctive eyes, or gas holes, throughout the cheese. Classified a "hard" cheese, traditional Gouda's moisture content is 25 to 36 percent.

International Variations

Coolea is a Gouda-style cheese from Cork, Ireland. Matured for six to eight weeks, it's occasionally flavored with nettles. Penbrn and Teifi are Gouda-style cheeses made on organic farms in Wales. The overly processed American Gouda is made in several locations around the U.S., while Winchester Cheese in California produces some well-regarded Gouda-style cheeses. Sally and Ted Wieninger in upstate New York produce Wieninger's Goat Cheese. Unusual for a Gouda-style cheese, goat's milk makes this much harder than traditional Gouda.

References

• "The Cheese Companion"; Judy Ridgway" 2004
• Coquinaria: Overview of Making Gouda Cheese
• "Cheese Rheology and Texture"; Sundaram Gunasekarar; 2003

Resources

• You Tube: How to Make Gouda Cheese
• Schmidling: Cheese Recipes