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| Gouda by age is a company with a local service area. | |
The same cheese at six ages is six different products, and the difference is wider than people expect.
The steps
Young from four weeks, semi-matured eight, matured sixteen, extra matured seven months, old ten months, extra aged from a year.
What happens
Moisture leaves and proteins break down. The cheese grows harder, saltier and more complex, and the crystals appear that crunch between the teeth.
The crystals
Not salt but tyrosine, an amino acid released during ageing. They are the clearest sign a cheese is genuinely old.
What to use when
Young for bread and melting, matured as the middle ground, old with beer or wine and for grating. Extra aged is eaten on its own.
What the name does not tell you
The word Gouda is not protected. Gouda Holland and Noord-Hollandse Gouda are, with rules on where the milk comes from.
Where to look
Cheese shops with a cutting wire, and farms in the Green Heart.
Where to try it
Places in our directory that serve this