What to do in Gouda—and where to eat the best cheese
Here’s everywhere you should buy, taste, and learn about cheese in this historic small town in the Netherlands.
A medieval battle in Holland forever changed the cheese world as know it: Which city would be named the trading center for Stolse, what we know now as Gouda.
Gouda is and was made at dairy farms all throughout South Holland, so any city in the area could have been its trading center. Until 1412, Gouda cheese was called Stolkse (sweet milk) cheese and sold in the town of Stolwijk before moving to Schoonhoven.
Around 1540, the city of Gouda won the official cheese market title that it still holds today. Centuries later, cows still live in the lush meadows surrounding Gouda in the Cheese Valley of South Holland. Tourists and locals ride bicycles directly to the farms from Gouda and other towns to get the taste most similar to the medieval days with unpasteurized raw milk, the way it was made until the 1800s.
”You can't buy unpasteurized cheese in the Netherlands unless you go to a farm, by law," says Sjoerd Hiemstra, a process technologist at CONO Kaasmakers, a cooperative with more than 400 farmers producing Gouda cheese.
Cheesemakers selling to stores and in supermarkets have to ”follow exact rules for the fat percentage, the salt percentage, and the moisture level,” says Hiemstra, who is also a cheese judge for the Dutch Professional Cheese Connoisseur Contest. Farmers get to play with all ingredients without restrictions when creating farm cheese flavors, so you won’t know what it will taste like until the first bite.
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However, tasting cheese you can only taste in Cheese Valley farms is only half the experience. The Gouda cheese market, which dates back to 1395 (when Gouda wasn’t the official market yet), showcases what cheese trading was like centuries ago. You can watch the cheese being weighed in the city center on Thursdays from April through August.
Cheese is no longer sold at the market, but it is sold at local cheese shops, including Gouds Kaashuis, ’t Kaaswinkeltje Gouda, and Say Cheese Gouda. You’ll find cheese in a variety of ages adorned with mustard seeds, cumin, and herbs.
Yet, with all the flavor additions and changes, there’s still a return to Gouda’s origin story. “In the last 10 years in Holland, 95 percent of our cheeses are getting a little sweeter, because people like that,” says Hiemstra.
Where to buy and taste cheese
De Twee Hoeven is an easy bike ride, and they have a guided tour (via an app) for exploring the farm. Their on-site cheese factory has produced Gouda for 100 years in flavors such as pesto, mustard, and cayenne pepper.
Ruyge Weyde in Oudewater is known for its organic cheese; all the cows are born at and raised on the farm.
The Barn in Gouda offers Gouda cheese cooked in all its forms from Gouda fondue to terrines stacked with cheese, nuts, and fruit. You can also have it on burgers or in carpaccio, an Italian appetizer with hand-pounded, thin beef, aged gouda, and truffle mayonnaise.
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Where to learn about cheese
The Gouda Cheese Experience is an interactive attraction that delights history buffs and cheese connoisseurs with cartoon characters in educational videos about the area’s current and past cheese making practices. In a self-guided experience, visitors virtually milk cows, turn cheese wheels, learn medieval cheese buying practices, and sample young, mature, and aged Gouda cheeses.
The cheese is categorized into three types: young, mature, and aged. Young cheese is about a month old, and is primarily a cheese used for sandwiches. Basically, it’s everyday cheese. Matured Gouda is firmer, aged for four to six months, and is typically used in warm dishes and on cheeseboards. You might see it at a birthday party.
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Aged Gouda is aged for at least 10 to 12 months and can be grated or served on its own. It’s sharp and provides a big boost of flavor.
Where to stay
Gouda is a small, historic town with relatively few lodging choices. History fans should aim for the 25-room, renovated orphanage Weeshuis Gouda, which dates back to the 16th century and is a four-minute walk from the town center. The pet-friendly property also attracts foodies with its Michelin-star winning Lizz Restaurant's locally sourced menu.
The City Hotel Gouda is the best hotel for accessibility and a humorous vibe near the city center. The eclectic theme incorporates Gouda cheese wheel replicas in the lobby, and the rooms feature images of laughing ladies eating stroopwafels and cheese. The pet-friendly Campanile puts you closer to the farms for trying fresh farm cheese.
