Maasdam cheese () is an
Emmental-style Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...
. Made from
cow's
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...
, it is aged for at least four weeks. It ripens faster than other cheeses made in the Netherlands. Maasdam has
internal voids, or holes from the ripening process,
and a smooth, yellow rind. Sometimes, it is waxed like
Gouda is. The cheese was created to compete with Swiss Emmentaler cheeses by being less expensive and quicker to produce. In the process of making a cheese with the same general components as Swiss cheeses, the Dutch ended up with a cheese that is nutty and sweet, but softer than Emmental, due to a higher moisture content.
The style was introduced in 1984 by the Baars company as the trademarked
Leerdammer
Leerdammer () is a Dutch semihard cheese made from cow's milk. It has an ageing time around 3–12 months. It has a creamy white texture and was made to be similar in appearance and flavor to Emmental. Its sweet and somewhat nutty flavour becomes ...
cheese, although it is now made by other Dutch companies under the name ''Maasdammer''. That name was selected to honor the village of
Maasdam
Maasdam is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 14 km south of the city of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Hoeksche Waard, on the rural Hoeksche Waard island.
From the 14th Century until around 1800, Maa ...
in the province of South Holland.
See also
*
*
References
Dutch cheeses
Cow's-milk cheeses
Cheese with eyes
{{cheese-stub