Gouda
Country of origin	The Netherlands
Region, town	Gouda
Source of milk	Cows
Pasteurized	Yes
Texture	semi-hard
Aging time	4-18 months
Certification	??

Gouda cheese is a yellowish Dutch cheese named after the city of Gouda. The cheese is made from cow's milk that is cultured and heated up until the curds separate from the whey. About ten percent of the mixture is curds which are pressed into circular moulds for a couple of hours. The moulds give the cheese its traditional shape. Next, the cheese is soaked in a brine solution which gives the cheese its rind and improves the taste. After the salt soaks in, the cheese is then dried for a couple of days before being coated to prevent it from drying out. The cheese then ages for at least a couple of weeks before it is ready to be eaten. The term "Gouda cheese" is now a generic name, and not restricted to products of Dutch origin. Download high resolution version (684x800, 64 KB) Pikant brand of Gouda cheese. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... Goudas 15th Century Town Hall Flag of Gouda Gouda (population 71,797 in 2004) is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ... Jump to: navigation, search Look up Cow on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Cow may refer to: Cattle regardless of sex (in vernacular usage). ... Jump to: navigation, search Cheese is a solid food made from the curdled milk of cows, goats, sheep, or other mammals. ... Goudas 15th Century Town Hall Flag of Gouda Gouda (population 71,797 in 2004) is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ... Curd is a dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating) milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion (called whey). ... Whey or milk plasma is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained; it is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. ... Molding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a mold. ... Jump to: navigation, search Brine is water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. ...

Exported Gouda cheese is usually the young variety (aged between 1 and 6 months, rich yellow in colour and with a yellow paraffin wax coating). This cheese is easily sliced on bread with a cheese slicer. Locally, old Gouda (aged between 12 and 18 months, orange-yellow in colour and sometimes discernible by a black paraffin wax coating) can be obtained. This strong tasting cheese is hard and often too brittle to slice, but is sliced by knife or served broken in chunks with drinks. Paraffin is a common name for a group of high molecular weight alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2, where n is greater than about 20. ... Jump to: navigation, search The cheese slicer was invented and patented in 1925 by Thor Bjørklund, a carpenter from Lillehammer, Norway. ...