Jāņi cheese vs Leyden
Jāņi cheese
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Soft
- Type
- Fresh
- Rind
- No rind
- Country
- Latvia
Jāņi cheese is a fresh cow's milk cheese from Latvia. Makers cook milk and curds together, then stir in butter or cream, eggs, salt, and caraway seeds. The mass sets into a low round with a soft, compact paste and seeds scattered through it. Latvians eat it at Jāņi, the midsummer festival, and the round form is tied to the sun in that tradition. It is also a familiar symbol of Latvian food beyond the festival table.
Leyden
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Netherlands
Leyden is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Netherlands, flavored with cumin and often with caraway. The spices show as dark specks in a pale, supple paste, and the taste is savory rather than sweet. A natural rind covers the wheel, which slices cleanly for bread or a board. It is a Dutch spice cheese, not a plain Gouda with seeds on the side. The Dutch name Leidse kaas and the word komijnekaas both point to the same style.