In April 2024, I was blessed to spend two weeks in Holland on a Viking riverboat cruise. Besides learning that Gouda cheese is “wunnerful,” I eagerly soaked up lots of Dutch history. Since many family historians find that they have a family line going back to the Netherlands (proper name of that little country), I thought I’d share some of the Dutch history bits that I learned.
The Dutch are known for their cheese, or kaas, as they say. In some towns, the cheese trade dates back to the 1300s. Today, this country is the largest cheese exporter in the world. 
We toured a cheese factory...... tour started with meeting the cows all happily munching in their stalls. Holland's low, flat rich soil, kissed by a salty sea wind, produces grass most healthy for cows..... which produce much milk. Legally, cheese farmers/factories can only have a certain number of cows to graze the land allotted to them. After seeing the adults, we got to meet a 10-day old calf..... her pink muzzle was so darn cute. (Females are kept for milk production; males are sent to become hamburger.)
Here I am with a 20# wheel of Gouda. I learned that there is young Gouda (less than six months), perfect for sandwiches, and mature Gouda, best for eating as cubes to dip in mustard. Wrapped in paraffin wax for export, cheeses do not spoil but they do become harder and saltier. Edam is a close favorite cheese, best eaten as a snack with apples or pears.
In days gone by, cheese makers delivered their product to the town square on market day either by horse cart or canal boat. Known as kaasdragers, they carried up to 300 pounds of cheese to the buyers' stalls. Buyers would purchase a slice of a wheel..... that's why you see deli cheeses cut in wedges in stores today.
Have you had your cheese today? REAL cheese, not those plastic-wrapped slices. :-)
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