Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
It’s true, the Netherlands is absolutely crackers for cheese! The average Dutch person gets through 14,3 kilograms of the stuff per year. But this nation of cheese lovers doesn’t stop there: taking it to the next level, they express their adoration with a variety of cheesy attractions. From taste-testing to cheese-making, there’s a whole load of opportunities out there. Pack your kaasschaven (cheese slicers) and let’s go!
Cheese experiences equal cheese tasting, right? When it comes to tasting, Reypanaer in Amsterdam is the cream of the crop. All their cheeses are naturally ripened in a 100-year-old, specially-constructed warehouse in Woerden, near Utrecht. No fancy temperature control devices there; they just open the shutters when things get too hot.
Join a workshop and you'll get to sample six kinds of cheese with your very own cheese guillotine (it makes sense when you see it) and wash it all down with three glasses of wine. The tasting demonstrates how the ripening process affects the cheese’s flavour and texture. There’s even a video of the cheese master at work, ecstatically sniffing his beloved cheese wheels.
If you want to do more than taste, the Booij Kaasmakers farm really allows you to be hands-on. The Booij family has been making artisan cheese at their farm in Streefkerk, near Rotterdam, for over 300 years, so they ought to know a thing or two about cheese.
As well as guided tours and cheese tastings at their farm shop, they also offer workshops where you can make your own raw milk cheese to ripen at home (if you can resist eating the entire thing on your train back).
“Say Gouda!” The eponymous cheese is the nation’s favourite, comprising an entire half of all cheese production. At the market in Gouda that gave its name to the cheese, you can spend a sunny Thursday morning watching the trade of yellow cheese wheels. But, if you want to really dive into some cheesy history, turn your attention to the building behind the market.
The Gouda Weighing House (Goudse Waag) has been weighing cheese since 1668. While traders still symbolically shake hands in front of the Waag, today it houses a museum dedicated to the art of Gouda cheesemaking and crafts. Alongside exhibits detailing the history of the building and the cheese, the museum also regularly hosts cheese-making demonstrations.
What’s more Dutch than cheese? Clogs, of course! Why struggle to choose between the cheese museum and the clog museum when you can have both?
De Simonehoeve, near Volendam and within easy reach of Amsterdam, is a cheese-farm-come-clog-factory (we didn’t realise such things existed either - dreams really do come true). Let the cheesemaker show you how Edam and Gouda are made and then, if you’ve not had your fill of clichès, watch the clog maker demonstrate how Dutch clogs are made. You can taste cheeses and decorate clogs to your heart’s content.
“Have you ever seen cheese in a museum?” the website asks. Well, yes, if you’ve been working your way down this list. But, if you were only going to visit one cheese museum, let it be the Cheese Museum in Alkmaar.
Located next to the oldest cheese market in the Netherlands, this interactive museum tells the story “from cow to cheese”. Learn why cheese presses were traditionally given as wedding presents, view 16th-century portraits of Dutch women and admire the views of Alkmaar. Of course, there are cheese-tasting opportunities as well.
Image credit: Het Kaasmuseum
This may be a slightly grand name for a room beneath a cheese shop, but trust us on this one. Not only does the Amsterdam Cheese Museum explain how all different kinds of Dutch cheeses are made, but it also houses the most expensive cheese slicer in the world! That, surely, is a bucket list item you can’t afford to miss.
You also have the opportunity to dress up like a traditional Dutch cheese farmer and sample the large collection of unusual Dutch cheeses in the shop above the museum.
It’s one thing to learn about cheese-making in a shop or museum, and quite another to actually get stuck in yourself. At the Kaasboerderij Weenink, you can do exactly that. Tour the cheese farm, witness a milking robot in action and, most importantly, taste cheese.
Those who really want to get stuck in can take part in a cheese-making workshop. Once made, your mini cheese is ripened at the farm and sent to you two weeks later in the post. The serious cheese fans among us (seriously, we salute you) can opt for a full-day package comprising of a farm tour, cheese tasting, hike and wine tasting.
Enjoy chomping your way through these recommendations! If you think we’ve missed something that deserves a place on the list, let us know in the comments below!