Did you know that Holland is the largest exporter of cheese in the world? In 1991 alone, the Dutch produced over 600 million kilos of cheese, which was sold to various Western European countries, as well as the U.S. and Japan. Kind of crazy, huh? But what amazes me the most is the selection–Gouda and Edam are two of Holland’s specialties, and then there’s Leyden (a dry, nutty cheese with cumin seeds in it that our family grew up eating), Leerdammer, Smoked Gouda, Friesian, and Kernhem to name a few. When I went online, one store had 700 cheeses to pick from…wow.
I would have to say, cheese is not just a delicacy to me; it’s a staple of life. Cheddar, sharp or mild, pepper jack, monterray jack, brie, parrano, feta, ricotta, swiss, blue, boursin, gorgonzola, parmesan, Chevre, Gruyere, Camembert…the list goes on and on.
Yep. The variety is pretty much amazing.
