Noord-Hollandse Gouda 
Noord-Hollandse Gouda is a cow's milk Gouda from North Holland and one of three Dutch Goudas with EU protected status. It is made only in the Netherlands, from milk of Dutch cows, and ranges from mild and elastic at four weeks to hard and sharp past a year.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Netherlands |
| Specific Origin | North Holland |
| Protection | PDO (1996) |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | 48% to 52% in dry matter |
| Moisture Content | Not to exceed 42.5% after at least 12 days from the 1st day of manufacture |
| Rind | Closed, smooth, yellow, no visible mold growth |
| Texture | Pliable, fills the borer, termed a 'soft dairy product' |
| Flavor | Aromatic, pleasant, mild to sharp |
| Colors | Uniformly ivory to yellow |
| Forms | Flattened cylindrical or block shape |
| Age | Minimum of 4 weeks to over 18 months |
| Rennet Type | Calf or microbial rennet, no genetically modified organisms used |
What is Noord-Hollandse Gouda Cheese?
Gouda takes its name from the city of Gouda in South Holland, where farmers once brought their cheeses to the market square. Teams of porters in differently coloured straw hats carried wheels of about 16 kg (35 lb) in barrows. Buyers sampled and haggled through handjeklap, a bargaining ritual of clapped hands and shouted prices. The modern cheese had taken its shape by the 17th century.
The word Gouda itself is not restricted to Dutch cheese. Noord-Hollandse Gouda is different. It sits alongside Boerenkaas and Gouda Holland as a protected geographical indication in the European Union, which means it can only be made in the Netherlands and only from milk produced by Dutch cows.
It is a washed-curd cheese. After the cultured milk curdles, part of the whey is drained off and water is added, which removes some lactose and reduces lactic acid, leaving a sweeter cheese. About a tenth of the mixture is curd, pressed for several hours in the circular moulds that give Gouda its shape. Brining follows, then a few days of drying and a wax or plastic-like coating.
Young cheese is pale ivory to light yellow, smooth and springy, very mild with a note of nuts. Age deepens the colour to gold and turns the paste firmer and more crumbly, with small crystals that crunch. Long ripening brings caramel sweetness and malty, nutty, brothy undertones, and the finish can run anywhere from silky to sharp.
In the Netherlands the cheese is cut into cubes and eaten as a snack with Dutch mustard, or served with beer in bruin cafés. Older wheels are sometimes topped with sugar or apple butter.
How Does Noord-Hollandse Gouda Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Noord-Hollandse Gouda against.
