Leyden (Leidse kaas)

What is Leyden (Leidse kaas) Cheese?

Leyden comes from the Netherlands, historically from farms around Leiden. Those farms churned butter for local markets, since butter spoiled fast and had to be made close to home. The leftover semi-skimmed milk had little value and often went to the calves. Turning it into low-fat cheese was the better option, because low-fat cheese kept longer than full-cream types such as Gouda, especially in warm weather. Farmers near Leiden added cumin seeds and coloured their cheeses with annatto, which gives the cheese its red colour.

On farms the milk may get about 5% buttermilk, then it is set with rennet at 28 to 30 C (82 to 86 F). Roughly half an hour later the curd is cut with a harp, stirred, and warmed to about 33 C (91 F) by pouring in hot whey. The curd is dipped with a cloth and kneaded. Cumin seeds go into one portion of it, and the curd is packed into cloth-lined hoops in three layers, with the spiced curd in the middle.

Pressing runs about three hours. The cheese is then redressed, inverted and pressed overnight, salted with dry salt or in a brine bath, and cured in a cool, moist cellar. If the rind hardens too much, it gets washed with whey or salty water.

The shape is round and flat like Gouda, but with sharp edges on one side and a less rounded heel. Wheels run from 3 kg (6.6 lb) to 9 kg (20 lb), with a fat percentage of 30% to 40%. A typical analysis gives moisture 40.6%, fat 13.5% and protein 37.3%. The cumin and caraway seed carry the flavour, and Leidse kaas is the most common komijnekaas, or cumin cheese, in the country.