Edam Holland

Appearance & taste

Edam Holland has the shape of a ball with a flat top and bottom, or the shape of a loaf or block. The specification distinguishes several types: “Baby” up to 1.5 kg, ball, “Bros” and “Stip” at 1.5 to 2.5 kg, small loaf at 2 to 3 kg, large loaf at 4 to 5 kg and block up to 20 kg. All contain 40 to 44 % fat in dry matter.

The rind forms through drying during ripening; it is well closed, smooth, dry, clean and free of mould. The paste is ivory to yellow and evenly coloured, with a few small, round holes; “Bros” has very many small holes. Young Edam Holland is firm enough to slice; with ripening it becomes firmer and the texture shorter. Depending on age and type, the taste ranges from mild to sharp.

Before pressing, a casein mark is placed on each cheese, bearing the name and a combination of numbers and letters that is issued only once. The Dutch inspection body for milk and milk products (COKZ) keeps a register of them.

Production

The cow’s milk comes from Dutch dairy farmers. It is cooled on the farm to at most 6 °C and taken to the cheese dairy within 96 hours. There it is adjusted to the desired fat content and pasteurised for at least 15 seconds at at least 72 °C. Non-genetically modified lactic acid cultures and rennet are added, but no rennet from genetically modified organisms.

The milk coagulates at about 30 °C. The curd is separated from the whey, washed, brought into shape and to the right weight by pressing, and placed in a brine bath. The cheese then ripens naturally in the air at at least 12 °C, is turned and checked regularly and forms its dry rind in the process; ripening in foil is not allowed. Ripening lasts at least 28 days, 21 days for the “Baby”, and, depending on the desired taste, also longer than a year. Cutting and packing may also take place outside the Netherlands, provided the origin remains traceable through the code of the casein mark.

Origin & history

“Holland” in the name is used as equivalent to “the Netherlands”; at the time of the Republic of the United Netherlands, Holland was the most influential of the seven provinces. According to the specification, the location of the country, mostly below sea level, the maritime climate and the grasses on clay and sandy soils are largely responsible for the milk being so well suited to cheesemaking.

Edam Holland is part of the Dutch cheese culture that developed from the Middle Ages onwards and came into full bloom in the 17th century, the Golden Age. From the farm via local cheese dairies, it became a product made throughout the country, to which the specification attributes a worldwide reputation. National rules for Edam were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century, and the name “Edam Holland” was laid down in the agricultural quality decree for cheese products. According to a market study in six Member States cited in the specification, consumers strongly associate Edam with the Netherlands.