🧀 Edam

Edam is a firm, semi-hard ripened cheese made from cows' or buffaloes' milk, shaped as a ball, a flat block or a loaf. The world standard is Codex CODEX STAN 265, and the name comes from the town of Edam in North Holland, where the EU protects Edam Holland and Noord-Hollandse Edammer. ¹²⁴

What Codex requires. The body is near white or ivory to light yellow and firm enough to cut, with few round holes from rice to pea size. The rind is dry and may be coated. Fat in dry matter is at least 30 %, with a reference level of 40–50 %, and ripening normally lasts from 3 weeks at 10–18 °C. ¹

Edam Holland. This protected geographical indication was registered on 3 December 2010. ³ It may be made only in the Netherlands, exclusively from cows' milk, cream or skimmed milk from Dutch dairy farms, and matured in Dutch maturing rooms. Fat in dry matter is 40–44 %, maturing lasts at least 28 days at 12 °C or more, foil maturing is not allowed, and the oldest cheeses age for more than a year. ⁵

How it is made. Milk is cooled on the farm to no more than 6 °C and must reach the dairy within 96 hours. ⁶ The cheese milk is pasteurised at least at 72 °C for 15 seconds and set at about 30 °C with calf rennet and starter cultures of Lactococcus and Leuconostoc. The curd is washed, pressed into vats and placed in a brine bath, and then the cheese matures in the open air, is turned regularly and forms a dry rind. ⁵

Types. The specification lists baby Edam Holland up to 1.5 kg, the classic ball of 1.5–2.5 kg with at most 45.5 % moisture and 5.0 % salt in dry matter, Bros with many small holes and a crumbly texture, Stip, loaves of 2–3 and 4–5 kg, and blocks of up to 20 kg. ⁶ Its flavour ranges from mild to piquant depending on age, and the paste from ivory to yellow. ⁵

How to recognise it. Before pressing, every Edam Holland receives a casein mark with the name and a unique code of letters and figures; the Dutch dairy inspection body COKZ keeps a register of these codes. ⁵ Since 1 January 2016 the packaging must carry both the name and the EU PGI logo. ⁶

Noord-Hollandse Edammer. This protected designation of origin has been registered since 21 June 1996. ⁴ Its milk comes only from the province of North Holland, the ball weighs 1.7–1.9 kg, fat in dry matter is 40–44 % and salt is at most 3.9 % of dry matter, clearly less than in other Edam. Edam has been made in North Holland since the Middle Ages and was exported from Edam and other ports of the former Zuiderzee; factories took over at the end of the 19th century. ⁷ Today the town of Edam holds cheese markets on Wednesday mornings in July and August. ⁹

Nutritional value. According to USDA, 100 g of Edam contains 357 kcal, 25 g of protein, 28.6 g of fat, of which 18.7 g saturated, 731 mg of calcium and 973 mg of sodium. ⁸

Edam or Gouda? They are two different cheeses with their own names, and for Edam what counts is the label: the word alone guarantees neither origin nor milk, since under Codex it can be made anywhere, even from buffalo milk. Edam or Edam Holland? Edam Holland is the protected version: only Dutch cows' milk, 40–44 % fat in dry matter, matured at least 28 days and never in foil. Noord-Hollandse Edammer goes further, with milk from North Holland only and at most 3.9 % salt in dry matter.

Look for the name Edam Holland with the EU PGI logo, or Noord-Hollandse Edammer, which is PDO. Edam Holland also carries a casein mark with a code on the rind. It comes as a baby Edam of up to 1.5 kg, the classic ball, a loaf or a block, and the paste runs from ivory to yellow with age. You will find it at a supermarket cheese counter, a delicatessen or a cheesemonger, whole, in wedges or in slices.

Why it matters to you. The word Edam alone guarantees neither origin nor milk: under Codex it can be made anywhere, even from buffalo milk, so look for Edam Holland with its casein mark and EU logo or for Noord-Hollandse Edammer. ¹⁶⁷ 100 g of Edam contains 973 mg of sodium, and WHO advises adults to stay below 2000 mg a day. ⁸¹⁰