Cheese Database

Edam vs Wyfe of Bath

Edam, field guide plate
Edam, photographed

Edam

Facts

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

Edam is a pressed cow's-milk cheese from the Netherlands, named for the town of Edam. Export balls are often coated in red wax.

Wyfe of Bath

Facts

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

Wyfe of Bath is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the United Kingdom. The name comes from the Wife of Bath, a character in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and the card names no town. Makers take a light cue from Dutch Gouda and finish a British wheel with a firm natural rind. The paste is nutty, creamy, and sweet, with a pale caramel tone as it ages. It is a board and cooking cheese, not a fresh curd.