Culture Magazine

44 culturecheesemag.com I N N OVAT I O N 202 3 T hough the history of cheesemaking in the Netherlands goes back to at least 200 BCE, it wasn't until the Middle Ages that the Dutch evolved into a nation of cheese lovers. The acres of damp grasslands reclaimed from the North Sea during this period proved to be exceptionally suitable for cattle rearing, and by the dawn of the Golden Age, cheese from prominent market towns such as Edam and Gouda (the latter properly pronounced HOW- dah) had become an important pillar of the country's economy. In fact, during the first two decades of the seventeenth century, traditional Dutch cheeses were even depicted—usually cut open to display all their textural allure—in many still life masterpieces, including in Clara Peeters' Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds, and Pretzels (1615). The country is immensely proud of its cheeses, and rightly so. But it isn't just the Dutch who are enamored with the wide variety of consistencies, aromas, and flavor profiles—from the buttery richness of jonge kaas (young cheese) to the crumbling texture and citrusy notes of an aged komijnekaas (cumin cheese). The Netherlands is the world's second-largest cheese exporting country (after Germany and before France), and the wax-coated wheels are as much a national icon as tulips and windmills. It's no wonder that many tourists eagerly visit the historic markets, go on cheese tours, and make sure to take home a wedge or two as edible souvenirs. During the past few decades, however, a new generation of cheesemakers has been looking abroad and making it clear that there's more to Dutch cheese than its emblematic offerings. BACK TO NATURE France may be famous for its exceptional goat cheeses, but since 2011, stiff competition has been brewing (or, better said, naturally fermenting) in the northern rural province of Friesland, home to Doetie's Geiten (Doetie's Goats). Following a career as a clinical, chemical, and medical microbiological analyst, Doetie Trinks traded her lab coat for a red Dutch farmer's bandana, and realized her dream of returning to her roots. "My parents were dairy farmers, but only my brother was destined to follow in their footsteps," she says. "For a girl, farming wasn't an option. So, I went to school and later got a job at a research lab in London." Determined to do things differently, Trinks returned to Friesland and purchased six Toggenburger goats, an ancient Swiss breed known for its high-quality milk that's also suitable for meat production. Her goal was to make natural cheese as it was done before the advent of commercially produced cultures and rennet, as advocated by David Asher, author of The Art of Natural Cheesemaking: Using Traditional, Non- Industrial Methods and Raw Ingredients to Make the World's Best Cheeses. Trinks, who studied with Asher, only uses rennet derived from her own goats Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds, and Pretzels by Clara Peeters.

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