Gouda

Gouda

Semi SoftCow MilkNetherlands

Dutch cheese with a sweet, nutty flavor.

Aging Time

1 month – 1 year

Style
Semi Soft
Milk
Cow
Origin
Netherlands
Ripening
≥ 1 month

Tasting Board

Salt2Tang2Richness3Creaminess3Crumble1
Gouda sensory profile, scored out of 5
Salt2 of 5
Tang2 of 5
Richness3 of 5
Creaminess3 of 5
Crumble1 of 5

Texture

Semi-soft, smooth

Flavor

Sweet, nutty, caramel notes

Nutrition (per 100g)

Calories kcal
Proteing
Total Fatg
Saturated Fatg
Sodiummg
Calciummg

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HalloumiSame style

Halloumi

Semi Soft · Cyprus

Halloumi is the great outlier among fresh cheeses: where the rest of the category spoils within days, it is unusually robust. Sold vacuum-packed, it tolerates freezing and thawing without noticeable damage, which is close to unique. Sheep and goat milk together form the traditional base, and the PDO specification now requires them to make up more than half the mixture — a requirement being phased in gradually, since decades of cow-milk production left the Cypriot sheep and goat flock too small to meet it at once. The defining property is that it will not melt: a slab keeps its form over a grill or in a hot pan, browning and tightening rather than flowing, and it needs no coating or batter to do so. Some versions carry flecks of mint, a survival of the practice of wrapping blocks in herbs to help them keep.

RicottaTastes similar

Ricotta

Fresh · Italy

The name means recooked, and it describes the process exactly: whey left over from making another cheese is heated a second time, hot enough to drive the remaining fat and protein out of solution, and the curds that rise are skimmed off. Historically this salvaged value from sheep-milk cheesemaking rather than being a product in its own right — one of the earliest examples of recycling in food. Most ricotta sold today starts from milk, or from milk that has been combined with whey, rather than from whey on its own. Many producers add vinegar to speed acidification, which works but leaves a sharp edge; a slower culture-driven set gives a rounder, sweeter result. Gums and stabilisers on the label are a reliable warning sign, since they lock in water and release it again in a cooked dish.

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