Kanterkaas 
Kanterkaas is a Dutch cow's milk cheese from Friesland and the Westerkwartier, protected by a PDO since 2000. It comes plain, with cumin as Kanterkomijnekaas, or with cumin and cloves as Kanternagelkaas, and tastes sharp to strong.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Netherlands |
| Specific Origin | Friesland and Westerkwartier |
| Protection | PDO (1999) |
| Milk Type | Cow |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | 20-25% (20+) or 40-44% (40+) |
| Moisture Content | ≤48.5% (20+), ≤41.5% (40+) |
| Rind | Natural or coated (colorless/yellow) |
| Texture | Firm to hard |
| Flavor | Pleasant, sharp to strong (varies with age) |
| Aroma | Aromatic, pleasant |
| Colors | Ivory, yellow, or greenish-yellow |
| Forms | Flat cylindrical wheels (3-8.5 kg) |
| Age | Minimum 4 weeks |
| Rennet Type | Animal |
| Also Known As | Friese nagelkaas, nagelkaas, Kanter Cheese, Frisian clove cheese, Friese kaas, Kanterkomijnekaas , Kanternagelkaas |
What is Kanterkaas Cheese?
Kanterkaas is a yellow cow's milk cheese from the north of the Netherlands. The cold climate pushed Dutch dairy farming toward Friesland and the Westerkwartier, and trade in the cheese was documented in Leeuwarden in 1386. By 1532 records show it being exported to Germany and England.
A 1725 regulation barred the name Kanterkaas from cheese made without the traditional spices, though the law was later revoked. Demand in England during the nineteenth century industrial revolution lifted production, and Kanterkaas became the highest-produced cheese in the area. Factory production and processing started in Friesland in 1890. The European Union granted it a Protected Designation of Origin in 2000, so Friesland and the Westerkwartier remain the only permitted producers.
Wheels are flat cylinders weighing 3 kg (6.6 lb) to 8.5 kg (19 lb). The edge where the side meets the base is sharp, while the one between side and top is rounded. Two fat classes exist. The 20+ has 20 to 25 percent fat in dry matter and no more than 48.5 percent humidity twelve days after production; the 40+ has 40 to 44 percent fat and a 41.5 percent humidity ceiling. The rind may be natural or treated with a colorless or yellow coating, and a red coating is allowed on Kanterkomijnekaas.
Taste changes noticeably with age. The plain cheese is pleasant and runs from sharp to strong. Kanterkomijnekaas, flavored with cumin, is fragrant and mild to strong. Kanternagelkaas carries both cumin and cloves and tastes fragrant, pleasant and sharp to strong.
How Does Kanterkaas Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Kanterkaas against.
