I N N OVAT I O N 202 3 culturecheesemag.com 45
and allows the microorganisms in the milk
to develop naturally. "During milking, the
microbial flora on the teat's skin passes
through, making the use of cultures
unnecessary," she explains. "If I cooled
(or heated) the milk, the flora would die."
Additionally, she uses natural materials
such as wooden vats and woven baskets,
which help preserve the flora.
Despite the myriad obstacles of Dutch
lawmaking and safety regulations, Trinks
has persevered. Today she has a herd of
70 goats and makes raw-milk cheeses
from almost every family. Especially
noteworthy is her Grutte Grize, a soft,
ash-covered cheese with a delicate acidity
and mild yeasty tang.
A REFLECTION OF DUTCH TERROIR
Christine Köning started making cheese
as a hobby in 2011 using milk from
her family's dairy farm in the town of
Zevenaar, located to the far east of the
country and just a stone's throw from
the German border. From the start,
Köning had her mind set on crafting
unique, artisan cheeses. "Typical Dutch
cheese has been made here for centuries,
and there are all kinds of specifications
regarding how it should look," she says.
"I wanted the creative freedom that
comes with making the lesser-known
soft-ripened cheeses."
After much trial and error and
valuable input from her first clients,
she introduced her first bloomy-
rind cheese, Witte van Köning, in
2015. Aged three to four weeks and
weighing about 7 ounces, it has hints
of mushroom and notes of freshly
churned butter when young but
takes on a more earthy pungency
as it matures. Though the cheese is
"For a girl, farming
wasn't an option. So, I
went to school and later
got a job at a research
lab in London."
Witte van Köning has hints of mushrooms
and notes of freshly churned butter
when young, but takes on a more earthy
pungency as it ages.
Trinks uses natural materials such as wooden
vats to help preserve the milk's flora.
