Cheese Database

Beemster vs Boerenkaas

Beemster

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Netherlands

Beemster is a Dutch cow's milk cheese in the Gouda tradition, sold from young and supple to long-aged and firm. The paste is smooth when the cheese is young, with small eyes that come from the cultures used in the make. Flavor starts sweet and mild, then grows deeper and more savory as the wheel dries. Cow's milk is the base of the familiar wheels. A shop label often adds a style, such as a younger wheel or a mature one, and that cue matters in the kitchen.

Boerenkaas

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Netherlands

Boerenkaas is a cow's milk cheese from the Netherlands. The Dutch name means farmer's cheese, and it refers to cheese made on the farm from raw milk. The method sits in the same washed-curd family as Gouda, but the scale is a farm dairy, not a large plant. A young wheel is smooth and mild. An older wheel turns drier, sharper, and more likely to show small crystals.