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Leerdammer
Country of origin	The Netherlands
Region, town	Schoonrewoerd (Leerdam)
Source of milk	Cows
Pasteurised	Yes
Texture	semi-hard
Aging time	3-12 months
Certification	Trademark name

Leerdammer is a Dutch semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk. It has an aging time of around 3–12 months. It has a creamy white texture and was made to be similar in appearance and flavor to Emmental, but it is rounder in taste. It has a sweet and somewhat nutty flavour that becomes more pronounced with age. It also has distinct holes in it. In a past advertisement campaign this was made use in claiming jokingly that "the taste is around the holes".

The cheese is produced exclusively by le Groupe Bel. The Leerdammer name is a trade mark of Bel Leerdammer B.V.^[1]

Leerdammer cheese is produced in Schoonrewoerd in the municipality of Leerdam, the city which gave Leerdammer its name. Generic Leerdammer style cheese is sold as Maasdam cheese.

The cheese was developed by Cees Boterkooper, who owned a small dairy in Schoonrewoerd since 1914, and Bastiaan Baars, who ran a cheese shop in a nearby village. The two met in 1970, and soon afterward decided to collaborate. They worked on a cheese that could compete with Gouda and Edam. Leerdammer was launched in 1977^[2][3]

[edit] See also

• Maasdam cheese
• Emmental cheese

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dutch Leerdammer Site
• itscheese.com Leerdammer page

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