And here it is... our Final Report! Enjoy!

Dutch Raw Milk Cheese Project Group 1

What does European law say about raw-milk cheeses?

Let's start with some history. 
Europe began issuing general conduct regulations in the 1990s, with the aim of allowing the survival of raw-milk cheese production and at the same time guaranteeing consumer safety.

There are two schools of thought within the European Union. Northern countries tend to focus more on industrial production using pasteurized milk and intensive farming, while around the Mediterranean, a large variety of traditional cheeses are still produced. France, which has an important history of PDO raw-milk cheeses, plays a crucial role in the debate. Some scientific documents on potential risks relating to raw milk - in particular that on staphylococcal enterotoxin published in 2003 by the European Union and the documents on Listeria monocytogenes published in 1997 by the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire of Maisons Alfort and in 2000 by the French Food Safety Agency - support the choice to preserve artisan cheeses as long as an efficient self-checking program plan is in place.

The first European directive dates from 1992 (92/46/EEC) and has been followed by a number of regulations (852/2004, 853/2004, 2073/2005, 2074/2005). The production of raw-milk cheeses was allowed, as long as certain minimum requirements were met.

Each European Union member state must follow these minimum regulations, but they can also establish stricter measures. As a result, an individual country can decide to ban the sale of raw-milk cheeses.

Here is an outline of the basic requirements established by the EU for producing raw-milk cheeses.

Raw material
- The milk must come from animals that have no symptoms of infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans through milk (in particular it must come from farms officially free from brucellosis and tuberculosis), that are healthy and that have not been given unauthorized substances or products, and minimum suspension times must have been respected.

- The bacterial count allowed for raw cow's milk is a maximum of 100,000 bacteria per ml (measured at 30°C).
- The bacterial count allowed for raw milk from other animals is a maximum of 500,000 bacteria per ml (measured at 30°C).
In the case of cow's milk, the somatic cell count is also measured, and the maximum allowed is 400,000 cells per ml.
If these minimum requirements are not respected, producers have three months to identify and resolve the problem.
After this period, depending on the country, the producers either cannot continue to sell or process the milk, or they can use it only for specific products (or to make pasteurized cheeses or raw-milk cheeses aged for at least 60 days).

- If the milk is not processed within two hours of milking, it must immediately be stored in a clean place and chilled to a temperature below 8°C (in case of daily milking) or below 6°C (when milking is not carried out daily).

Processing facilities
The facilities must be clean, undergo regular maintenance and be kept in good conditions. The design, construction and location of the facilities must allow proper maintenance, cleaning and/or disinfection, avoiding or reducing to the minimum any air-borne contamination and ensuring a work space that allows all operations to be carried out in hygienic conditions. A sufficient number of toilets must be available, connected to a suitable disposal system, which must not discharge directly to where food is being processed, and a sufficient number of sinks, properly located and signposted for handwashing.

Floors, walls, ceilings, doors and windows must be kept in good condition, be easy to clean and, if necessary, to disinfect. This requires the use of resistant, non-absorbent, washable and non-toxic materials.

All the surfaces, including equipment surfaces, in the area where food is processed and particularly those that come into contact with food must be kept in good condition and be easy to clean and, if necessary, to disinfect.

Therefore they must be made from smooth, washable, corrosion-resistant and non-toxic materials.

Exceptions
Member states can grant exceptions regarding processing facilities and materials to businesses that produce traditional cheeses (PDO, IGT, PAT - Prodotti Agroalimentari Tradizionali, traditional food products).

If the environment contributes to the development of the cheese's characteristics, the facilities can have walls, ceilings and doors not made from smooth, impermeable, non-absorbent, corrosion-resistant materials and natural geological walls, ceilings and floors.

The same applies to the materials used for the tools and equipment for the preparation and packaging of the cheeses.

Recognition and registration
Businesses that produce, process, transport, store and sell products of animal origin must be either registered or recognized.
Registration allows sales at a local level. Recognition replaces the old EEC stamp and allows sales to other retailers, abroad, etc., without geographical limitations.

The procedures for obtaining registration are slightly simpler.

Recognition involves more frequent inspections by the health authorities.

Microbiological characteristics of raw-milk cheese
Moving on from milk to cheese, it is necessary to guarantee the following through regular analyses:
- the absence of Listeria monocytogenes
- the absence of Salmonella
- the absence of staphylococcal enterotoxins
- the control of the presence of bacteria indicating poor hygiene (Escherichia coli and coagulase-negative staphylococci)

Labels
The label (packaging, document, placard, label, ring or band) that accompanies products made from raw milk must clearly indicate "made with raw milk."


From: http://www.slowfood.com/rawmilk/eng/52/europe

Belgian Cheese Recall Goes Multinational

 

A couple of months ago – March 19th to be precise – Belgomilk (Moorslede, Belgium) announced the recall of a single lot of Nazareth Classic rectangular “half-cheese” (approx. 3Kg, plastic-wrapped; Lot ID #0520018301 or 0520018302). The recalled cheese was distributed in Belgium and Germany (RASFF Reference #2011.0374).

The reason for the recall? The company found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of this batch of cheese.

About a month later, France notified RASFF (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed) member countries that it had detected Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of cheese from Belgium (RASFF Reference #2011.0511; released 18/04/2011 and updated 11/05/2011). The Alert indicated that there had been “distribution to other member countries.”

It, therefore, should not have come as a shock when Belgomilk announced a greatly expanded cheese recall on May 10th, as a result of having found Listeria monocytogenes in an unspecified number of production lots of cheese manufactured at its Moorslede facility. The new recall encompassed cheeses purchased by consumers prior to May 11th.

This list of recalled cheeses includes the following brands and formats:

• Affligem Tranches/Affligem Slices, ± 400g
• Belgolight Jeune/Belgolight Young, 200g
• Brugge d’Or Tranches/Brugge d’Or Slices, ±375g
• Brugge d’Or Bloc/Brugge d’Or Wedge, ±450g/250g
• Corsendonk Cubes, 250g
• Grimbergen Tranches/Grimbergen Slices, ±350g
• Grimbergen Cubes, ±315g
• KV Light Fromage Tranches/KV Light Cheese Slices (Light 16% fromage jeune/Light 16% young cheese), ±300g
• Nazareth Classic Bloc/Nazareth Classic Wedge, ±425g/250g
• Nazareth Classic Cubes, 150g/250g
• Nazareth Classic Tranches/Nazareth Classic Slices, 200g/180g
• Nazareth Light Tranches/Nazareth Light Slices, ±300g
• Nazareth Tranches/Nazareth Slices, 200g/150g
• St. Maarten Classic Tranches/St. Maarten Classic Slices, 200g

In addition, the following cheeses were sold “cut to order” at creameries or dairy stands, and as “freshpack” cheese in supermarkets: Belgolight, Bocholter fromage à pain, Brugge d’Or and Nazareth Light & Classic.

Part of the Milcobel dairy cooperative, Belgomilk is headquartered in Kallo, Belgium, and is the largest milk processor in the Milcobel corporate family. Its three factories produce a variety of milk products, including milk powders, butters and cheeses. The Moorslede location produces Belgomilk’s branded and Gouda-style cheeses for distribution in Belgium and for export.

According to the RASFF notification (EU #2011.0619) – issued on May 11, 2011 and updated on May 13, 2011 – the cheeses that were recalled by Belgomilk on May 10th were distributed in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The RASFF notice does not specify which brands of cheese may have been distributed in which countries. Nevertheless, some of this information can be gleaned from recall notices posted by individual countries. The following list is current, as of May 14th, and will be updated if and when more information becomes available.

Belgium

Recalled cheeses were distributed in Colruyt, OKay, Spar, Alvo and Delhaize stores, as follows:

• Grimbergen Tranches/Slices, ±350g (Colruyt & OKay)
• Grimbergen Cubes, ±315g (Colyruyt, OKay, Alvo & Spar)
• Affligem Tranches/Slices, ±400g (Colyrut & OKay)
• Bruges d’Or Trances/Slices, ±375g (Colyrut & OKay)
• Bruges d’Or Bloc/Wedge, ±400g (Colyrut & OKay)
• Nazareth Classic Bloc/Wedge, ±425g (Colyrut & OKay)
• Nazareth Fromage en Block/Wedge Cheese, ±250g (Delhaize)
• Nazareth Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut & OKay)
• Kievit Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut & OKay)
• Delhaize Tranches de Nazareth/Nazareth Slices, 180g (Delhaize)
• Delhaize Plateau de fromage Belgo-Français/Belgo-France Cheese Platter, ±400g (Delhaize)
• Brugge Kaas Plateau de fromage Brugge/Brugge cheese platter ±450g (Delhaize)

Germany

The following recalled cheese was sold in Lidl stores in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony only:

• St. Maarten Classic Belgian Cheese Slices, 200g

Luxembourg

The following recalled cheeses were sold in member stores of the Colruyt group in Luxembourg:

• Grimbergen Tranches/Slices, ±350g (Colruyt, Collivery & OKay)
• Grimbergen Cubes, ±315g (Colyruyt, Collivery, OKay, Alvo & Spar)
• Affligem Tranches/Slices, ±400g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
• Bruges d’Or Trances/Slices, ±375g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
• Bruges d’Or Bloc/Wedge, ±400g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
• Nazareth Classic Bloc/Wedge, ±425g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
• Nazareth Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)
• Kievit Light Tranches/Slices, ±300g (Colyrut, Collivery & OKay)

The following recalled cheeses were sold in member stores of the Delhaize chain in Luxembourg (updated May 26, 2011):

• Delhaize brand Tranches de Nazareth (180g; all date codes)
• Delhaize brand Plateau de fromage Belgo-Français (400g; Best before 18/04/2011 and 02/05/2011)
• Nazareth brand Fromage Nazareth en bloc (250g; all date codes)
• Brugge Kaas brand Plateau de fromage Brugge (450g; Best before 13/04/2011)

The Netherlands

• St. Maarten Classic Belgian Cheese Slices, 200g – sold in Lidl stores in the Netherlands

United Kingdom

• St. Maarten Classic Belgian Cheese Slices, 200g – sold in Lidl stores in the UK

USA (Updated May 21st)

• Atalanta Corp (Elizabeth, NJ) recalls Nazareth Classic and Nazareth Light cheeses (Lot Nos. 5030008, 5030009, 11350044, 11350045, 11350046, 10840120; expiration dates of 3/13/2011 through 7/29/2011). The cheeses were distributed mostly in the Northeast, and sold in retail stores in random weight cuts.

Not all countries and retailers are equally prompt at posting recall notices – if they post them at all. If you have purchased one of the recalled cheeses and your country or store does not appear on the above lists, please discard the cheese and let me know where you found it, so that I can add the information to the list for the benefit of other consumers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Antwerp is home to the best cheese shop in Europe

date: 05 November 2010

On 24 September 2010 Michel Van Tricht & son, located in the Berchem district of Antwerp, was chosen by the newspaper the Wall Street Journal as the best specialist cheese shop in Europe. The Wall Street Journal preferred the Antwerp shop over competitors such as two Paris shops, a shop in Provence and a top specialist in Italy.
 

Cheese affineurs Michel Van Tricht & son are specialised in:

• ageing cheeses
• importing and exporting cheeses
• supplying the restaurant and catering industry 

In 1978 Michel Van Tricht took over his father’s business and developed it into an internationally renowned specialist cheese shop. In the meantime, Frédéric Van Tricht, Michel’s son, has joined the business.

 
Cheese affineurs Michel Van Tricht & son supply cheese to the finest restaurants in Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands. The Belgian Royal Palace also occasionally enlists their services.

Each week, Michel visits the Rungis market in Paris, where he expertly selects cheeses from his suppliers. Michel Van Tricht & son sells cheeses from Belgium and abroad, including unpasteurised cheeses and cheeses from smaller-scale producers. The pride and joy of the shop is the 11-metre long cheese counter. Together with a saleswoman who provides professional advice, customers can wander along the display to make their selection.

shop site: http://www.kaasmeestervantricht.be/kazen/http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-TopTenWeekend.swf

From: http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/Newsroom/belgium_unlimited/miscellaneous/2010/ni_2010-11-05_fromagesaanvers.jsp

Is raw milk cheese good for your health or not? Check it!

The Myths about Raw-Milk Cheese

Parmigiano-Reggiano, Roquefort and English Cheddar are among the most sought-after selections in any cheese case. But are they also among the most dangerous?

Along with dozens of other raw-milk treasures—Fontina Val d’Aosta, Swiss Gruyère, Comté, Vermont Shepherd—these classic cheeses bear the weight of the myths and misperceptions surrounding raw milk. Some advocates suggest that raw-milk cheese is as safe as corn flakes—people aren’t dying like flies in Europe, are they? Yet others preach caution. With some physicians advising pregnant women to avoid all raw-milk cheese, consumers are wondering where the danger lies.

Does your cheese department staff know the raw-milk facts? Let’s examine some of the commonly held beliefs about pasteurization and its impact on milk, cheese and health. Anyone in the business of selling cheese needs to be able to tell the myths from the truth.

Myth 1: Pasteurized milk is sterile.
Not true. If pasteurized milk were sterile, an unopened carton wouldn’t spoil. Pasteurization kills a lot of bacteria, including all the pathogens (disease-causing organisms) like Listeria and Salmonella and some but not all of the bacteria that make milk spoil. So pasteurization does make milk safer while it also increases the shelf-life.

There is more than one way to pasteurize. You can heat the milk to a high temperature (161 degrees F.) for a short time (15 seconds). Or you can heat the milk to a lower temperature (145 degrees F.) for a longer time (30 minutes). Most cheesemakers would say that the high-temperature, short-time (HTST) method does less damage to milk quality.

A third heat-treatment procedure, known as thermization or thermalization, stops short of pasteurization. This method preserves the milk enzymes while significantly reducing bacterial counts. The FDA considers thermalized milk as raw milk, so cheeses made with thermalized milk must still be aged at least 60 days.

Myth 2: Raw milk has more nutrient value than pasteurized milk.
Not significantly. According to Moshe Rosenberg, food science professor at the University of California at Davis, vitamin loss from pasteurization is either too small to measure or less than 10 percent. The exception is vitamin C, which drops by about 20 percent.

Many people believe in the health benefits of raw milk’s enzymes. Pasteurization does denature enzymes, but according to Rosenberg, milk enzymes can’t withstand the low pH in the human stomach anyway. They don’t do anything for our digestion or health.

Myth 3: Pregnant women should avoid all raw-milk cheese.
The concern here is Listeria, which can harm a fetus. So do physicians have science behind them when they tell pregnant patients to forego all raw-milk cheese?

Studies suggest not. Although high-moisture, unripened cheeses like cottage cheese and queso fresco and soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert can support Listeria growth, aged raw-milk cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, English Cheddar, Gruyère and Emmenthal cannot. They’re too dry, too low in pH, too high in salt. When Listeria turns up in cheese, it’s almost always in moist, soft cheese made with milk that was improperly pasteurized or contaminated after pasteurization. There have been several large outbreaks of listeriosis associated with Hispanic-style cheeses prepared under non-commercial conditions.

The FDA’s own risk assessment puts hard cheese last in Listeria potential among 23 common foods, including produce (www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/lmr2-toc.html).

From the standpoint of Listeria risk, it would make more sense to warn pregnant women away from fruits, vegetables or deli meats than to caution them about aged raw-milk cheese. Aged raw-milk cheeses are excellent sources of calcium and protein, needed by pregnant women.

The law requires raw-milk cheese—domestic or imported—to be aged at least 60 days at 35 degrees F. or above. By that point, most cheeses are no longer soft or moist, and are highly unlikely to harbor Listeria. (Some underage raw-milk cheeses do enter this country illegally, and pregnant women should avoid them.)

Myth 4: Raw-milk cheese tastes better than cheese made from pasteurized milk.
That widespread belief comes under fire once you taste a Colston-Bassett Stilton, Spain’s luscious Nevat, a mountain Gorgonzola or the washed-rind Red Hawk from California’s Cowgirl Creamery—all from pasteurized milk. In the hands of a good cheesemaker, pasteurized milk does just fine.

Pasteurization does destroy some of the microflora in milk—the “bad bacteria as well as the desirable flavor- and aroma-producing enzymes. Without these enzymes, cheese made from pasteurized milk has less potential for flavor development.

In one study, researchers at France’s Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique made the same cheeses from both raw and pasteurized milk. The raw-milk versions developed flavor sooner and the flavor was richer and more complex. The researchers’ conclusion: Pasteurization alters the biochemistry and microbiology of ripening and thus the texture and flavor of the cheese.

All things being equal, raw milk will produce a more complex cheese than pasteurized milk. Nevertheless, most cheesemakers would agree that fresh, high-quality pasteurized milk is better than low-quality raw milk any day.

Myth 5: Raw-milk cheeses aged more than 60 days are risk-free.
Nothing we eat is risk-free. Cheese can be contaminated at any stage from farm to table: in the milking barn, in the dairy, in the aging room or at the retail counter. The 60-day rule, which dates from 1949, derives from the belief that pathogens can’t survive the low-pH, low-moisture environment of an aged cheese.

In fact, scientists have since shown that some pathogens—strains of Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli—can survive in cheese beyond 60 days. In most of these so-called challenge studies, they have inoculated pasteurized milk (not raw milk) with large quantities of pathogens—far more than you would find in quality milk—then made and aged the cheese. Lo and behold, in some cases, pathogens survived beyond 60 days.

Catherine Donnelly, a food microbiologist at the University of Vermont and an international expert on Listeria, believes that pathogens may behave differently in pasteurized-milk cheese than in raw-milk cheese. Says Donnelly, “Having lots of beneficial bacteria present is a good way to combat pathogenic bacteria. Once you eliminate all those good organisms, there’s nothing for the pathogenic bacteria to compete with.

What do these challenge studies prove about aged raw-milk cheese, which has a remarkable safety record? In more than 50 years of scientific literature, there are virtually no reports of illness outbreaks from aged raw-milk cheese that can be blamed on the raw milk.

Myth 6: Mandatory pasteurization would make cheese safe for all.
It’s true that pasteurization puts all known milk pathogens out of commission, but it doesn’t prevent milk or cheese from being infected downstream. In fact, it may make it easier, as Donnelly suggests. Not only can pathogens get a foothold when there aren’t any “good bacteria to outcompete them, but dairies may relax their sanitary procedures when they know they’re working with pasteurized milk. One recent study of European washed-rind cheeses found almost twice as much Listeria in the pasteurized samples than in the raw-milk samples.

“The greatest threat posed to the safety of cheese is due to post-process environmental contamination, writes Donnelly in a scientific paper. In that light, mandatory HACCP plans in dairies would probably do more to safeguard public health than mandatory pasteurization.


*Janet Fletcher is the author of The Cheese Course and a staff food writer for The San Francisco Chronicle.

From: http://www.specialtyfood.com/news-trends/featured-articles/retail-operations/the-myths-about-raw-milk-cheese/

Belgium - Europe's Best-Kept Secret

A country with distinct Flemish (Dutch) and French influences, including language, it is sometimes said that Belgium serves food with the quantity of Germany and the quality of France.

When shopping for dinner, a Belgian will happily go 20 minutes out of her way if it means her family will enjoy a better loaf of bread or a more tender bunch of asparagus. Food is an extremely important part of Belgian life. Not only do Belgians spend considerably more money on food than the average American, but they also devote a great deal more time and energy to discussing it, shopping for it, preparing it, and consuming it. The Belgian approach to food is perhaps best summed up in the following motto: We eat three times a day, so we'd better try to make a feast of it every time.

But what is Belgian food? When faced with this question, most Americans might answer, after a puzzled pause, "French?" "German?" or, perhaps, "Dutch?" Even other Europeans find Belgian cuisine enigmatic. To a great extent, that sad fact is our own fault, since Belgians tend to keep a low, even self-effacing international profile. But it is all the more confounding when consider that Belgian food is truly some of the finest Europe has to offer and that Belgium has more three-star restaurants per capita than France.

Although present-day Belgium can aptly be described as a nation tied to its traditions, its very culture sprang from a pastiche of foreign influences. Over the centuries, Belgium has been invaded by almost every other European people—including the Romans, Vikings, Spanish, French, Germans, and Dutch—effectively becoming a meeting point for the Germanic cultures of northern Europe and the Latin cultures of the south. Favorite cooking techniques, ingredients, and styles of the invaders were picked up by the natives, who by the Middle Ages, had developed a cuisine they could call their own. Now we Belgians are fond of saying that our food is cooked with French finesse—and served in portions of German generosity.

At some point, the urge to forge and preserve this hard-won and slow-cooked identity eventually became a sort of national mania, reflected in a native suspicion of strangers and a hard-shelled, highly conservative resistance to any further exotic influence. Our customs, traditions, folklore, and festivals were frozen in time, along with our cuisine, which has remained doggedly faithful to its origins.

A Medieval Birth

Belgian cuisine is still deeply rooted in medieval cookery. The influence of the Middle Ages, a time when Flemish culture was very highly developed, can be seen today in the way we use condiments, mustards, vinegars, and dried fruits to obtain delicate balances of sweet-and-sour or sweet-and-salty in the same dish; in our use of fresh and dried fruits and nuts, particularly almonds, to enhance flavor and presentation. The spices we use so abundantly to season everything from meats to vegetables, desserts, and wine—nutmeg, cinnamon, peppercorns, saffron, ginger, and bay leaves—can be traced back to the spice trade of the Middle Ages. We love fresh herbs, particularly chervil, tarragon, thyme, sage, parsley, and chives. These are the same ones that grew in the herb gardens of the medieval monsteries, and we use them lavishly. We drink more beer than wine and produce more than 300 varieties, many of them crafted by small artisanal brewers whose family recipes and techniques go back hundreds of years. The exuberant and subtle beer cuisine of Belgium is just now beginning to have an influence outside of our borders.

Belgians love potatoes in nearly every guise; fried potatoes are practically the Belgian national dish. Mussels, another passion, are eaten regularly in great quantities, always accompanied by Belgian fries. Belgians are definitely a nation of meat lovers, consuming large quantities of pork, beef, veal, chicken, and rabbit. We also eat a large amount of game, everything from rabbit to wild boar, and wild birds of every sort—duck, grouse, quail, partridge, and dove. We often make a meal of our excellent charcuterie accompanied by a selection of breads and a glass of beer.

We are famous for our fresh vegetables (who has not heard of Belgian endive or Brussels sprouts?) as well as for waffles, and of course, chocolate. Belgians have a very well-developed sweet tooth; I think it is fair to say that we have unparalleled cravings for chocolate. Not only do we produce some of the finest chocolate in the world, but the average Belgian consumes nearly seven pounds more per year than his American counterpart. In short, everybody eats well in Belgium.

Given this bounty of wonderful food, it may surprise you to learn that there are few cookbooks devoted to Belgian cooking published in Belgium. The reason is simple: In Belgium, the secrets of cooking are still transmitted orally. Recipes, techniques, traditions, tastes, and passions are passed along from generation to generation in a country where "family values " is not merely a political catchphrase but a living reality. Our cuisine, like our nation, is at heart bourgeois—home cooking at its best.

For that reason, I want to introduce you to Belgian cooking through three generations of Belgian mothers and daughters: my great grandmother Marie, her daughter Jeanne, and her granddaughter (my mother) Anny. I am now a professional chef, and a cooking teacher at Peter Kump's Cooking School in New York City, and I learned about cooking in their busy kitchens in the medieval city of Ghent, where I grew up. These women are truly remarkable cooks, and each is thoroughly Belgian in her approach to cooking. Yet from each of them I have learned a distinct and recognizable style.



From:
Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook
by Ruth Van Waerebeek with Maria Robbins
Illustrations by Melissa Sweet
Workman Publishing ISBN: 1-56305-411-6 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0-7611-0106-3 (Cloth)
Reprinted with permission

The best cheese in the world is... Dutch Gouda

Here's a video of the world championship of cheese 2012.
The Dutch ''Gouda'' cheese won this year!

What we would like to promote in Belgium... something about Dutch delicious cheeses

Traditional Dutch Recipes

It is hard to imagine Holland without its lush green pastures and gently grazing cows. They are as much part of the national identity as clogs, windmills and tulips. Not surprising, when you consider that the Dutch have been making cheese since 400 AD. Nowadays, Holland is the largest exporter of cheese in the world. Its dairy industry as a whole has a turnover of around Euro 7 billion.

Cheese markets are still held in Holland. Some are just for tourists, such as the Alkmaar, Hoorn and Edam markets, but they are still worth seeing. The traditional cheese market trade is re-enacted in these towns every summer in front of the gorgeous old cheese weigh houses. The ritual features cheese bearers donning straw hats, brightly colored wooden stretchers and lots of cheese. The Cheese Museum in Alkmaar is also worth a visit.

The cheese markets at Woerden and Gouda are the only remaining functioning commercial markets. Farmers from the area have their cheese weighed, tasted and priced here. Cheese has been traded on the Gouda cheese market for over three hundred years. Buy some Gouda cheese there, or peruse the many exhibitions related to cheese production surrounding the market. At Woerden, you can buy boerenkaas, delicious artisanal raw milk farmhouse cheese. Some farmers also open their farms up to the public for tours and tasting sessions.

Also worth a visit is Reypenaer's Tasting Room on the Singel, one of Amsterdam's old city center canals. Foodies the world over have long embraced Reypenaer cheese, an artisanal Gouda and a two-time Supreme Champion winner (best European cheese out of all categories) at the Nantwich International Cheese Show, the world's largest.

Dutch Cheese Varieties

Gouda

Gouda is a semi-hard cheese with a 48 % milk fat content and a mild to piquant taste. Ageing intensifies the flavor and hardness.  
Graskaas is made from the first milkings after the cows return to the grassy polders from a winter spent inside. The fresh spring-time grasses lend the 1 month old cheese a rich, creamy texture and naturally yellow color. When graskaas is only aged for up to 1 week it has a milky color and is called meikaas. Jonge kaas (aged for 4 weeks) and jong belegen kaas (2 months) are well-suited for sandwiches. Other Goudas are fantastic for cooking; try extra belegen (aged for 7-8 months) if you're looking to substitute Jack or Cheddar cheeses. The oldest varieties, such as oude kaas (aged for at least 10 months) and overjarig (1 to 2 years), are excellent for eating in crumbly shards with a nice, sharp mustard or slick of apple syrup.
About 50% of the cheese production in Holland is devoted to this iconic cheese, making it our most important and best-known cheese. Gouda usually comes in cheese wheels weighing 26.5 pounds (12 kilos) and Baby Goudas of half a pound to a pound (250 g to a kilo). Beemster, Reypenaer and Old Amsterdam are popular commercial brands.

Edam

Edam cheese is the second most important cheese in the Netherlands, making up 27% of our total cheese production. Edam is semi-hard, with a fat content of 40% and a very mellow, salty taste that appeals to all ages. Ageing intensifies the flavor and hardness. The cheese has a typical round shape and weighs 4 pounds (1.7 kilos). Baby Edammers weigh half a pound (1 kilo). Export versions often have a red paraffin coating.  Westland  exports good Edam cheese, but whatever brand you buy, make sure it is from Holland. Cheap imitations that taste nothing like the original abound, unfortunately.

Maasdammer

Maasdammer cheese represents 15% of Dutch cheese production. It has large holes, a domed shape and a sweet, nutty taste. The shape, typical taste and holes are created by special bacteria that release gases during the maturation process. Leerdammer and Maasdam are the best known brands of Maasdammer cheese.

Boerenkaas (literally, farmer cheese)

It is a raw milk cheese, i.e. unpasteurized. By law, at least half of the milk used in the production of  boerenkaas  should come from the farm's own cattle. The other half may be purchased from no more than two other dairy farms. This ensures an artisanal product.

Goat's cheese 

Dutch goat's cheese is available as the familiar fresh, soft goat's cheese we all know and in the semi-hard Gouda style. The advantage of this goat's cheese is that it needs a shorter maturation process than cheese made from cow milk. Semi-hard goat's cheese is pale, with a slightly piquant taste, but a creamy melt-in-the-mouth texture. Look out for aged  Bettine Grand Cru , which was chosen 2006 Best Cheese of the World during the annual Nantwich International Cheese Show in England.

 Smoked cheese

Smoked cheese is melted and smoked, and then reconstituted into sausage-like shapes. It is usually sold in slices and has a distinctive brown rind and a smoky taste.

 Frisian clove cheese

This cheese is made with low fat milk, cumin and cloves. The cheese is quite firm in texture and comes in a wheel with sharp edges. A long ripening process creates a hard, dry and somewhat tart cheese.

 Leidse cheese

The original cumin cheese from Leiden is dry, piquant and somewhat tart. It has a fat percentage of 40%. Ageing intensifies the cumin flavor.  Boeren Leidse(literally 'farmhouse Leiden cheese') has a fat percentage of 20% and a dark red rind with the Leiden city crest (keys) on it.

Dutch blue cheese

While blue cheese is not strictly traditional in the Netherlands, the Dutch do make some delicious Gouda cheeses with powerful blue veins rippling through them. The most commercially available brand, called Delfts Blauw (also called Bleu de Graven) tastes rich and sweet, and not as salty as roquefort. There is also an organic brand, Bastiaanse Blauw  (available at organic stores and Marqt supermarkets in the Netherlands).

Herb cheese

This category includes cheeses (mostly Gouda or boerenkaas) that are flavored with herbs such as parsley and chives, but also more unusual ones such as nettles, mustard, onion or pepper. 

From:
http://dutchfood.about.com/od/aboutdutchcooking/a/SayCheese.htm

Background information: Belgium

Belgium is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.

Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. 

Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. 

 

Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.

Funny video laughing at Belgians :-)

I’ve read somewhere that Belgians think of themselves as Europeans first, Walloons or Flemings second, and Belgians third.

So although Flemings and Wallons share many values and practices and highlight some of the uniqe qualities ot the belgians, they also bring out some of the dilemmas resulting from Belgian dualism tend to be sensitive to their cultural and language differences.

That’s why  It is essential to be aware of and respect these differences and never  ever confuse the groups or imply that they are similar ;)


sites worth visiting:
http://www.opt.be/
http://www.visitbelgium.com/

Group 1 Here We Go!!!

Welcome our dear blog Readers!

We are Ewelina, Humeira, Tessa, Paul, Rick and Yannick and from now on we are going to run a blog...
Here we want to share with you our work concerning raw milk cheese project.
 

Let me explain breifly our task:We are about to make a research on Belgium cheese market in order to develop an international marketing strategy on how can Slow Food Organisation successfully support Dutch producers of raw milk cheese in marketing their products in Belgium.
 

In short you will find here information concerning  our group, Dutch raw milk cheese and Belgium and everything we find interesting...

Hope you will find that too! :)

xx