Edam – Gouda

Gouda and Edam cheese are two ripened (semi) hard cheeses.

Product information

The first step is to curdle cultured milk. Then a part of the whey is drained and some water is added 
(this process is known as “washing of the curd”). The effect is a sweeter taste of the cheese. With this washing some of the lactose is taken out which results in a reduction of lactic acid produced. 
After that, this curd is pressed into circular or square molds for a number of hours. (The form of the molds give the cheeses their particular shape). In the next phase the cheese is soaked into a brine suspension. This gives the cheese a distinctive flavor.

Natural ripened cheese is cheese which is dried for a few days. Then the product is being coated with a coating in order to prevent it from drying out. After that, the cheese will be stored under special conditions (aging of the cheese). In this phase the cheese changes from semi hard to hard. The most commons gradations to classify the cheese are:

Foil-ripened and rindless cheese; after brine the blocks are straight packed in foil and mature for minimum 4 weeks, young cheese. These cheeses are for further processing, slicing, shredding and grating.

Gouda cheese is a mild cheese that is similar to Edam cheese, but contains more fat. Edam contains 25% proteins and 40% fat. Gouda cheese is mild in taste and grows stronger depending maturing. Edam has a slight taste of hazelnut with a low odor. It grows stronger depending maturing. Next to the traditional Gouda 48+ and the Edam 40+ we offer the low fat cheeses in 15 kg-blocks.

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