A little bit of History
Gouda is a Famous Dutch cheese, that we offer at Salumeria. The cheese originated during the seventeenth century, this was also due to the innovation in their cheese making techniques. A method developed to achieve a balance between the large wheels (approximately 7kgs) and the innovative technique of reducing moisture from inside the cheese and the problem of internal rot. The British neighbours with their dairies in Gloucester and Cheddar employed a almost identical processes by the end of the 1700’s.
The very recognisable large round wax wheels also helped in the export success of the dutch cheese. During the spice trade of the seventeenth century, new flavours such as cumin found their way inside the famous cheese. The telltale rind steeped in vinegar protected the cheese from maggots forming inside, during its long shipping journeys.
We at Salumeria offer our clients our special brand of Gouda Cheese: Marken.
The cheese comes from the north of Holland and its superiority comes from its small batch production. This is not a large scale operation product.
There are 3 variants of Gouda Cheese that we offer at our Salumeria.
- Young Gouda Cheese: Ripening age: 4 week old cheese.
- Cumin infused Gouda Young Cheese: Ripening age: 4 week old cheese.
- Mature Gouda Cheese: Ripening age: 16–18 week old cheese.
- Old Gouda Cheese: Ripening age: 10–12 month old cheese.
- Vintage Gouda Cheese: Ripening age: 48 month old cheese.
Flavour
Gouda Cheese exhibits a mellow, lightly fruity, milky-sweet taste. The vintage 4 year old Gouda cheese turns granular and Parmesan like. The Vintage cheese reveals nutty and herbaceous flavors with notes of chocolate, brazil nut and butterscotch.
Despite such success, the Gouda cheese is not Name protected, which means that namesakes and other imitators are able to enter the market with inferior products. This is why one must be cautious where they buy their Gouda cheese from. Cheaper variants of “Gouda” exist but may not actually be true, or even close to the actual Dutch cheese. These is only one style of name protected Gouda cheese. The Noord Hollandse Gouda, this was awarded its PDO in 1996.
We get our Gouda cheese from one of the only 250 dairies that produce the artisanal version of the cheese , known as “Goudse Boerenkaas” which is translated to “Farmer Cheese”. At Salumeria we do this to ensure that our customers get a true Gouda when they choose this cheese from us. Our deep knowledge of cheese and charcuterie enables us to give our customers the real experience when they visit us.
Salumeria Gardens 