Want the facts on cheese?  The Cheese Lover's Companion is a small in size but high in content source for facts on cheese and cheese related terms. By the authors of "The New Food Lover's Companion", Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, "The Cheese Lover's Companion" provides a solid reference on the world of cheese.  Organized as an encyclopedia and listed alphabetically by cheese and cheese term more than 1000 cheeses and cheese-related terms are detailed.  For each cheese the origin, milk, type, appearance, texture and flavor details are provided.  Each entry is then followed with a description of the history, making, and various forms of the cheese (see the Gouda entry below).  The Cheese Lover's Companion also provides details on cheese related terms such as cheese tastes, cheese components, and more. This is not a quick read; but for anyone eager to learn and explore cheese in detail this reference is indispensable.

Gouda [HOW- dah; GOO- dah]

From The Cheese Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, William Morrow 2007

Origin Netherlands

Milk Unpasteurized and pasteurized cow's

Type semihard to hard; pressed cooked; natural rind; some smoked; artisan, farmstead, cooperative, and factory

Appearance Primarily wheels ranging in size from less than 1 pound to 88 pounds; some have a natural rind that's thin and yellow when young, becoming darker and thicker with age; others are covered with various colored waxes; interior is pale yellow to deep gold with a scattering of irregularly shaped eyes; aged versions have crystalline flecks of white

Texture Smooth and supple when young; long-aged cheeses become hard, flaky, and brittle

Flavor Ranges from delicate and mild for young factory cheeses to full, rich, fruity, and nutty in farmstead cheeses; aged versions are rich, intense, and have nuances of butterscotch and toffee

Gouda is named after a small city located between Utrecht and Rotterdam in the South Holland province of the western part of the Netherlands. It was produced as far back as the sixth century and in the thirteenth century was exported to England, where it was quite popular. Today, Gouda is one of the best known cheeses in the world and represents 60 to 65 percent of cheese production in Holland. This Dutch hallmark is now primarily factory produced with pasteurized milk and can weigh anywhere from 6 to 50 pounds.

Most Goudas are in the form of wheels, though some 8-pound loaves are produced. Baby Gouda comes in wheels weighing from 6 ounces to 3 1/2 pounds. Most factory Gouda comes coated in red wax, which extends its longevity. Other wax colors signify additions - green wax indicates the addition of herbs, while an orange color tells you the cheese is flavored with cumin. Most Gouda is ripened for 1 to 6 months, but a black wax coating indicates an aged Gouda, which has been ripened for at least 12 months and some for up to 5 or 6 years. The label will state the age of the cheese. Gouda aged for 2 years or more has a deep golden color, a drier, harder texture with bits of crystallized protein that add a sweet characteristic, and a flavor replete with rich toffee and butterscotch notes. Some of the most widely recognized aged Goudas are Beemster, Rembrandt, and Saenkanter. Another prized Gouda is Boerenkaas (Dutch for "farmer's cheese"), which is farmstead produced in wheels weighing up to 88 pounds. It's made with raw milk, which gives it a rich, full flavor at 4 to 6 months, though it's often ripened for 6 to 7 years, which intensifies the flavor and makes it more complex. The single protected designation of origin (PDO) Gouda is Noord-Hollandse Gouda, which can be produced only in the North Holland province and has a lower salt content than most other Goudas. Even though Noord-Hollandse Goudas are factory produced, strict PDO regulations generate a higher quality than in many non-PDO relatives.

Because Gouda is not a protected name, it can be made in other parts of the world. Coolea is a full-flavored Boerenkassstyle Gouda produced in Ireland's western county Cork. Penbryn is another Gouda-style cheese made in Wales. And there are many American Goudas, most of which are factory produced, coated with red wax, and bear a close resemblance to the Dutch imports. Among the award-winning, raw-milk, farmstead producers making Gouda in the United States are Prima Käse in Wisconsin, Smith's Country Cheese in Massachusetts, and Winchester Cheese Company in California. Jules Wesselink, owner of Winchester Cheese Company in Winchester, California, produces an award-winning Boerenkaasstyle Gouda. Wesselink ran dairy farms for over 40 years but in his mid-sixties returned to his native Netherlands to learn to make cheese and in 1996 produced his first Gouda. His Super Aged Gouda is made with raw cow's milk and ripened for 15 months, which produces a cheese that's rich, fruity, and nutty with notes of butterscotch. Doeling Dairy Goat Farm in Arkansas makes an unusual farmstead Gouda from unpasteurized goat's milk. The fat content for standard Gouda is approximately 48 percent. Double Cream Gouda (or Roomkaas) has cream added, which pushes its fat content to 60 percent. A relatively recent addition is Light Gouda, made with partially skimmed milk, which puts its fat content in the 30 to 40 percent range.

About The Cheese Lover's Companion

While there are hundreds of cheese books available, most are large, weighty tomes with cheeses arranged by country, which means readers have to know where the cheese is from or search through a confusing index to find it. THE CHEESE LOVER'S COMPANION is the most comprehensive, indispensable, user-friendly A-to-Z guide that includes everything about cheese. Included are entries from Asiago to Zamorano; cheese terminology; information on how cheese is made along with tips for pairing cheese with wine and beer. The small, handy format makes it easy to take the book along when choosing and buying cheese.

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