Meet Michael Jones, the Cheese Lover extraordinaire! With a rich background, including 14 years running his own cheese shop in Switzerland and 2 years managing the oldest cheese shop in the UK, he now calls The Netherlands home. Michael’s passion for cheese extends to writing and sharing his discoveries. Join us as he unravels the secrets of Amsterdam’s cheese scene.
If you’re visiting Amsterdam you’ll no doubt be interested in learning about, and trying, Dutch cheese. I’m a British professional cheese monger and writer based in the Netherlands, so here’s some Cheesy tips for you! Check out my home page kaesenova.com for my own Amsterdam Cheese Walks and Experiences.
Gouda – It’s a style of cheese that was traditionally only sold at the cheese market in Gouda but now made all over the country, they are firm cows milk cheeses with a (usually) yellow/orange wax rind. The come in different ages.
Jong – Young, 4 – 8 weeks – mild and creamy
Belegen – Matured, 12 – 20 weeks – firmer and more flavour (Jong Belegen is 8 – 12 weeks, Extra Belegen 6-8 months)
Oud – Old, 10 – 14 months or more, harder and stronger and usually sweeter and sometimes with calcium lactate crunchy crystals.
You’ll also sometimes see these cheeses labelled as Kaas van de Boerderij, cheese made on the farm and Boerenkaas – “Farmer” cheese, made on the farm, but more importantly, it will be made from Raw Milk unpasteurised). Raw milk cheeses are always the best!
Edam – Similar to Gouda but milder and usually made in round shapes.
Leidse or more commonly known as Cumin cheese, a traditional Dutch recipe – so called because it has cumin seeds in it!
Where to buy cheese in Amsterdam.
Firstly, avoid supermarkets, cheese is cheaper elsewhere and the quality is superior. There are many Tourist cheese shops in the centre of Amsterdam, most sell baby 400 or 500gr Gouda cheeses. These are fine for travelling, especially as gifts for people who are not very adventurous with cheese (they also sell them at the airport). But honestly, they are not special cheeses, most supermarket Gouda style cheeses you can find back home, will be as good, if not better than these. But yes, they make nice looking gifts! You will also see a cheese called Old Amsterdam. This is a product born of marketing. It is not made in Amsterdam and it is not old. It is a large scale production and they do various things to it to make it look and taste older, including adding colour. I know why people like it, but it is not a cheese for a connoisseur.
Markets
Albert Cuyp is famous, but for serious cheese you really need to go to Noordermarkt and Lindenmarkt to the west of the main station on Saturdays, this is where I buy cheese from!
Cheese Shops
The 3 very best in my opinion are Fromagerie Abraham Kef (they have 3 locations, including one with a cheese cafe) and De Kaaskamer, all of these are central, the other one is to the south of the city, L’Amuse. There are other good cheese shops in the city, mostly in residential areas that sell very good cheese to locals, but the ones I have listed sell exceptionally good cheese.
My favourite Dutch hard cheese can only be found at the special cheese shops I mentioned above, and at one stall in Noordermarkt – it’s rare, even many Dutch people don’t know about it! It’s made near Ede to the east of Utrecht from Organic, Raw Jersey milk and is called Remeker (pronounced Raimeker). They have 3 ages, 6, 9 and 13 months. The old one is one of the greatest hard cheeses in the world. Most importantly for me, it has a natural rind (no wax) which allows the cheese to develop more character. Ask for this at special cheese shops and you will instantly earn respect from the staff!
If you’re buying cheese for a special dinner or party, I suggest you choose 4 or 5 cheeses, the selection based on my rule of thumb “Something Old, Something New, Something Stinky, Something Blue” (Hard, Soft, Smelly, Blue). If you include a goat and or sheep cheese within this selection, you will have every possible cheese type on one board. On my cheese walks and workshops I usually include cheeses from the Netherlands, France, the UK and sometimes Switzerland, Italy and Spain. My choice varies depending upon the season and what is best at the market that day.
When visiting a cheese shop or market don’t be shy, ask the cheese monger for advice (Cheese mongers love curious customers!), what is good that day, or in season. Base the strength of your selection on how adventurous your guests are and allow a total of 100 – 200gr of cheese per person.
Most cheese shops will vacuum pack cheese for you for travelling and did you know that hard cheese does not need to be refrigerated? Most of these cheeses have been matured for 6 – 18 months at 10 – 15 degrees centigrade so a few days travelling at 20 or 25 degrees will not hurt them. But best put cheeses, especially soft and blue, well wrapped, in your hold luggage for long journeys.
By the way, you cannot take raw milk cheese home to Australia or Canada, but most US states allow it as long as it is for personal consumption, not for re-sale. Check your own state or country regulations first. Of course, if the cheese is not labelled, if asked, you could swear blind that the cheese shop told you it is pasteurised!
If you want more tips on buying, travelling, storing and enjoying great cheese (including which rinds are good to eat, most of them is the answer) and which cheeses are naturally Lactose free you can download my 16 page booklet on my home page. Use code FREEBOOK at checkout to save the €1.00 cost! Enjoy our great city and maybe sign up for one of my unique Cheese “Shopping Walks” or tastings for a more in-depth introduction to the “Amsterdam Cheese Scene”, my tastings include craft beer, local Dutch wines (yes, we make great wine in this country!) and alcohol free beers and wines.
