Cheese Database

Beemster vs Gouda

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.

Gouda, field guide plate
Gouda, photographed

Gouda

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Waxed or sealed
Country
Netherlands
Place
Gouda

Gouda is a pressed cow's-milk cheese named for the Dutch city. Young Gouda is mild, supple, and often sealed in wax. Aged Gouda is hard, deep, and full of crystals.