Cheese Database

Boerenkaas vs Gouda

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.

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.