In this article we will talk about cheese, and more specifically about Edam cheese. Fans and lovers of this product will be interested to learn something new about it.
What is the birthplace of edam cheese?
If we talk about Edam cheese, another name immediately comes to mind - edamer. It turns out that these are several names of the same product.
Edam once received its name from a port in Holland, from where it was delivered to the Middle Ages throughout Europe. And edamer in translation means "cheese from Edam."
Edam cheese
In many countries of the world analogues of the Dutch product are produced. The producer makes real Edam cheese only in Holland.
There he produces several varieties with the addition of herbs and caraway seeds. They make it in the form of round heads or bars, not more than one and a half kilograms each. The fat content of classic cheese is forty percent.
Taste characteristics
In terms of hardness, Edam cheese is classified both as hard and semi-hard. It depends on how long it is held. The young product has a softer structure, it is less spicy with a sweet nutty flavor.
Producing Edam cheese, sourdough from lactic acid bacteria and rennet are used. To give a beautiful color to the finished product, a natural dye from the seeds of a tropical shrub is used.
To add a piquant taste to the Edam cheese add apple juice. In general, edam has a sweet milky taste. By tradition, young cheese is covered with red wax, and aged cheese is black.
Serving
A light nutty smack of cheese opens truly in combination with aged red wine. Classical edam presented with wines: Chateau Tonel, Chateau Pelerin, Chateau Cote du Rhone.
Edam cheese (photos are given in the article) is universal. The form of its presentation depends only on taste preferences. It can be baked, rubbed to prepare snacks. In Holland, breakfast with edam combined with eggs and chocolate is considered traditional. Locals love not just cheese, but all the dishes that can be cooked with it. Therefore, this product is an indispensable component of a good hearty lunch or dinner.
Cheese ceremony
Although the Dutch are prone to simplicity, everything related to their favorite cheese is subject to strict rules. Be sure to have a special board, preferably marble, although ordinary wood is also suitable. In addition, you will need special cheese knives. There should be at least three: one with a very thin and long blade for hard cheeses, the second for softer grades with a fork on the tip and holes on the blade that prevent the product from sticking when slicing. And the third type is for semi-soft cheeses (it has a wide blade).
That's the respect and admiration the Dutch have for their favorite, that even the usual process of cutting cheese turns into a whole ceremony.
Taste of Edam
Edam cheese (Edam) reviews has the most positive. At home, he is considered a mandatory product, without which the Dutch can not do a single day. The secret of his universal adoration lies in the piquant taste that he gets thanks to the addition of apple juice. It is this nuance that gives the cheese a wonderful milky taste.
An interesting fact: the longer the cheese is aged, the tastier becomes brighter and more saturated. It would seem that all the secrets of cooking edam have long been revealed, but not one manufacturer in the world can fully reproduce its taste. So, whatever one may say, the real edam is released only in his homeland, in Holland.
Holland Cheese Fair
Edam became a symbol of Dutch cheese making. There are many of its types, the names of which often use the word "ball" or "head": this is how it is traditionally produced.
In the Netherlands, the city of Alkmaar annually opens the cheese market in the summer, accompanied by various ceremonies, one of which is dedicated to edam. Porters carry cheese heads to the square and lay out almost all the free space with them.
Historical excursion
Edam has long been the hallmark of the Netherlands, because most of it is made for export. For the country itself, this cheese became the main component for prosperity back in the Middle Ages. Karl Fifth at one time granted the opportunity to organize a cheese market every week. This tradition is partially preserved to this day.
Edam, made for the local population, is coated with yellow wax; red is used for export. True connoisseurs and experts on this product prefer mature varieties (from several months to a year and a half), coated with black wax. Imagine that making edam accounts for twenty-seven percent of the country's total cheese production.
Edam manufacturing process
Cheese is made from milk by pouring it into a container (it is also called a cheese bath) and adding a coagulating substance. As a rule, this is rennet, thanks to it, milk becomes thicker. Sour milk bacteria are also added. The resulting mass is heated to fifty degrees. Add herbs and spices.
And then comes the molding period. The future product needs to be compacted, perhaps even cut into separate parts and laid in special forms. Next, from the cheese mass, you need to remove excess fluid, usually with a press. The greater the pressure, the drier the finished cheese will be. The resulting product is usually called the head, although the shape is not always round.
In almost all cheeses, salt is added, which will not only add taste, but also increase shelf life. And then the cheese needs to rest. This period is called ripening. In fact, it just lies in special places, as a rule, these are cool rooms. The process can last from several months to two years.
Here is such an interesting technology for the production of edam cheese. At the very end, a stamp is applied to each head, according to which it is easy to determine the time and place of production. This is the so-called Dutch quality guarantee.