Cheese Database

Gouda vs Mahón

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.

Mahón

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Spain
Place
Menorca, Balearic Islands

Mahón is a pressed cow's milk cheese from Menorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. The piece is a square block with rounded edges and corners, a shape that comes from forming the curd, not from a round mould. The paste runs from ivory to a deeper yellow, and the rind moves from pale gold to orange-brown. Young cheese is supple, mild, and buttery. A longer rest makes the same cheese firmer, saltier, and more piquant.