🧀 Maasdam

Maasdam is a Dutch semi-hard cow's milk cheese with large round holes and a sweet, nutty flavour. It belongs to the semi-hard cheeses and looks like Swiss Emmental, but its paste is softer and moister.

Maasdam is a relatively young variety, developed by Dutch cheesemakers as an affordable alternative to Emmental. The method is close to Gouda: pasteurised milk is soured with a starter culture and coagulated with rennet, and the curd is cut, washed, pressed and brined. The key difference is propionic acid bacteria: in a warm ripening room they release carbon dioxide, which forms the large holes and adds a sweetish note.

Ripening lasts from a few weeks to several months. The paste is pale yellow and supple and slices easily; the rind is usually smooth and often covered with wax or a polymer coating. The name Maasdam is not protected in the EU, so the cheese is also made outside the Netherlands. General requirements for cheese are set by the Codex Alimentarius standard CXS 283.

Maasdam melts well, so it suits toasted sandwiches, gratins and fondue blended with other cheeses. On a cheese board serve it with fruit, nuts and a light white wine (see Wine and cheese). Try it next to Edam and Gouda, the other well-known Dutch semi-hard cheeses.

Maasdam or Emmental, Gouda, Edam? Maasdam looks like Swiss Emmental because of its large round holes, but its paste is softer, moister and sweeter, and it is Dutch rather than Swiss. The method is close to Gouda: pasteurised milk, starter culture, rennet, cut and washed curd, pressing and brining. What sets it apart are propionic acid bacteria, which in a warm ripening room form carbon dioxide and so the holes and the sweetish note. Edam and Gouda are the other well-known Dutch semi-hard cheeses, but they have no such holes.

Look for “Maasdam” and the Netherlands as the country of origin. The name is not protected in the EU, so there is no PDO symbol to find, and the cheese is also made outside the Netherlands; the label tells you where. The rind is usually smooth and often covered with wax or a polymer coating, and the paste is pale yellow with large round holes. It is sold as a block or slices at a supermarket cheese counter or in pre-packed form.

Why it matters to you. Large holes are a sign of proper fermentation, not a defect. Maasdam is milder and sweeter than Emmental, so children often like it. Keep it wrapped in the fridge so the cut surface does not dry out.