From the ancient cheese market to the fatty journey
One Thursday morning in Gouda, the ancient market suddenly became bustling and bustling, evoking the atmosphere of cheese markets in the Middle Ages. The laughter echoed from the crowd of tourists and locals. In the middle of the square, convoys of chariots carrying cheese entered and stopped in front of the ancient Can House. The guys in traditional costumes jumped down and shook hands decisively - a ceremony to confirm the transaction that has been kept unchanged for hundreds of years.
In addition, the girls wearing blue shirts, orange dresses, white hats - traditional symbols of the Netherlands - smiled at the visitors. They are the famous Gouda cheese makers, bringing this small town its reputation far and wide. Visitors can taste cheese while walking around local agricultural stalls in the bustling and rustic atmosphere.
Gouda Cheese Market has been around since 1395, before the town was officially recognized as the Dutch cheese trading center in 1540. The name "Gouda" is therefore associated with the sweet and fatty cow's milk cheese, which is produced throughout the southern plains. Previously, people called it " Stolkse cheese" - the cheese of Stolwijk and Schoonhoven - but when Gouda won the right to organize the main market, the history of Dutch cheese also changed.
Today, Gouda cheese is still made using traditional manual methods, with fresh, unpasteurized milk and a long-term incubation process under strictly controlled temperature and humidity conditions. Under the law, you cant buy unpasteurized cheese in the Netherlands if you dont go to the farm, said technology expert Sjoerd Hiemstra of CONO Kaasmakers. More than 400 farmers participating in this Cooperative still keep the old way of making, the only difference is that they are free to create flavors - from mustard, pesto to herbs - so that each cheese cake has its own personality.
From April to August, the cheese market takes place on Thursday mornings at the central square. Although the business is now only symbolic, visitors can still witness the scene of cheese being balanced with an ancient wooden scale, hearing the familiar transaction sound, then walking around small shops near the square such as Gouds Kaashuis or Say Cheese Gouda to choose a pair of gold cheese cake to bring home as a gift.
Gouda - the flavor of simplicity
Leaving the square, just a few minutes of walking or cycling, visitors can see the lush green fields and farms that have kept the rhythm of life for hundreds of years. In De Twee Howven, cheese has been handmade for more than a century with typical flavors such as mustard, cayenne pepper or even herbal cheese pesto. Meanwhile, Ruyge Weyde organic farm in Oudewater is famous for its cattle herd that was born and raised on the spot - each slice of cheese is the crystallization of meticulous care from the grassland to the dining table.
If you want to understand more about cheese culture, visitors can visit the Gouda cheese Experience - an interactive museum that recountes the journey of cheese making over the centuries. There, people can try squeezing cow's milk, turning cheese cakes or learning about trading customs in the Middle Ages. At the end of the session, the rich flavor of the young, ripe and long-lasting pieces of cheese will be the perfect reward.
Gouda cheese is divided into 3 levels: Young cheese - about a month old - soft, sweet, often eaten with sandwiches; cooked cheese eaten for 4 to 6 months, with a stronger flavor, suitable for hot dishes or family parties; and old cheese, eaten for 10 to 12 months, with a rich flavor and characteristic aroma, often grated or eaten separately.
The town of Gouda is not large, but every corner of the street preserves the trace of time. If you love the ancient space, you can stay at Weeshuis Gouda - a building that was once an orphanage in the 16th century, now converted into a luxury hotel with 25 rooms and a Michelin-starred Lizz restaurant. Or choose City Hotel Gouda - modern, near the center - with a interior filled with cheese and stroopwafel, a bit of a Dutchessess.
Gouda is not as noisy as Amsterdam, nor as magnificent as Madrid. But between the ancient brick streets, the scent of fresh milk in the wind and the bustling sound of the summer cheese market, people can easily recognize - sometimes, it is the simplicity and rusticity that makes a land special.
