🧀 Gouda Holland
Gouda Holland is a Dutch PGI semi-hard cow's milk cheese made in the Netherlands, from young and creamy to aged and caramel-like.
Gouda Holland is a Dutch semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk in the Netherlands. It is the protected form of Gouda cheese. The name is registered in the EU as a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication, eAmbrosia file PGI-NL-0328, Regulation (EU) No 1122/2010).
The word Gouda is free, and such cheese is made all over the world. Only cheese from Dutch milk, made and matured in the Netherlands, may be called Gouda Holland. Historically the cheese is named after the town of Gouda in South Holland, where it was traded at the cheese market.
The milk is set with rennet and starter culture, the curd is washed, pressed into round wheels with convex sides and salted in brine. By ripening time one distinguishes young (jong), matured (belegen), old (oud) and extra old (overjarig) Gouda.
Young cheese is mild, creamy and supple; aged cheese is firm, with crunchy crystals and a caramel and nutty taste.
How to eat it: young Gouda on bread and in toasties, aged Gouda on a cheese board with nuts or grated over pasta. Beer, white and red wines go with it (see Wine and cheese).
The cheese belongs to Semi-hard cheeses, to Gouda and to Dutch cheeses; it is made from cow's milk.
Why it matters to you: the PGI guarantees that a cheese sold as Gouda Holland was made in the Netherlands from Dutch milk following the approved specification.
Facts
| Raw material | Dutch cow's milk |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Duration | From young (jong) to extra old (overjarig) |
| Taste | From creamy to caramel and nutty |
| Legal basis | EU PGI, PGI-NL-0328, Regulation 1122/2010 2 |
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Gouda Holland → kind of → 🧀 Gouda → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- Part of
- 🧀 Semi-hard cheeses, 🧀 Gouda, 🏷️ Protected cheese names, 🇳🇱 Dutch cheeses
Frequently asked questions
How does Gouda Holland differ from ordinary Gouda?
It is made and matured only in the Netherlands from Dutch milk under the PGI specification.
What do the labels jong, belegen and oud mean?
They are ripening stages: young, matured and old Gouda.
Is it true that the crunchy crystals in aged Gouda are salt?
No. They are mostly crystals of the amino acid tyrosine and calcium lactate formed during long ripening.
Similar
🧀 Noord-Hollandse Gouda · 🧀 Edam Holland · 🧀 Noord-Hollandse Edammer · 🧀 Spressa delle Giudicarie · 🧀 Valle d'Aosta Fromadzo · 🧀 Tomme de Savoie
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.