One of the most popular cheeses, Gouda accounts for 50% to 60% of consumption around the world and has for a number of years now – but the pronunciation of this creamy yellow cow’s milk cheese differs depending on the region. Here in the U.S., it’s pronounced “goo-dah,” leading to many cheesy puns (like “It’s always a good-a day for Gouda”).
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Much of the rest of the world misses out on (or is lucky enough to avoid) that humor, as they call the cheese “ghow-dah,” like a Bostonian’s “chow-dah.” In Gouda’s home of the Netherlands, where’s it’s been produced since the 12th century, it is pronounced with a heavy “h” sound, “hhow-dah,” as the Dutch don’t pronounce a hard “g.”
However you pronounce the name, it comes from the city of Gouda in the Netherlands, though not because it was specifically produced in that city. It was sold and distributed there as the major port nearby during the Middle Ages – and also the largest cheese market, since the city’s rulers had applied for and been granted monopoly trading rights on Holland’s cheese in 1395.
There is no such monopoly today; international law does not protect the name “Gouda,” so any Gouda-style cheese from any country can be and often is given that name. Here in the U.S., in Wisconsin alone there are at least 25 makers of Gouda listed on the Wisconsin Cheese website.
Types and flavors of Gouda run the gamut from young to mature to quite aged. Younger Gouda is often cold smoked using hickory chips, which gives the cheese a more nutty or bacon-like flavor and the waxy rind a golden-brown color. These days, you can find Gouda infused, mixed or rubbed with a number of different spices and flavorings – or even embedded with small crumbles of bacon. Everything’s better with bacon.
Young Gouda, arguably the most popular version in the U.S., is aged from 30 days to nine months. It has a creamy texture and a sweet, mild taste. You could encounter it in a ham or other cured meat sandwich, on a burger or in cheesy dishes like quiche or a particularly rich adult mac and cheese.
Noord-Hollandse Gouda is the one Gouda that has a protected designation of origin (PDO) and can only be made in North Holland, hence its name. The oldest of the Noord-Hollandse, Oplegkaas, is matured for two years. It loses its creamy and soft texture and develops caramel and butterscotch flavors and crunchy crystals.
Gouda’s waxy rind helps keep it from drying out during the maturation process.
