South Holland / Utrecht · Netherlands
Boerenkaas.
Boerenkaas shatters between your teeth with a crystalline crunch before melting into waves of salted butter, roasted hazelnuts, and candied stone fruit. The raw milk reveals itself in complex layers—a whisper of meadow grass and caramel sweetness that deepens as it ages, building toward an almost savory, umami-rich finish that lingers long after the cheese has dissolved.
Rate this cheese
Origin
52.1°N · 5.1°E
The story
How it's made.
Why it tastes that way.
Boerenkaas (farmer's cheese) is the raw-milk farmhouse version of Gouda, produced by approximately 600 farms across the Dutch polders.
It must be made from raw milk of the farm's own cows and is substantially more complex than factory Gouda. The tradition of Dutch farmhouse cheesemaking dates to the medieval period.
Production · spec
- Milk
- Cow · raw
- Family
- Hard
- Rind
- natural
- Age
- 4–24 mo
- Intensity
- 4 / 5
- Texture
- hard
Tasting profile
What it tastes like.
These bars are a visual read of Boerenkaas's flavour and aroma notes, scaled by the cheese's overall intensity — a quick guide, not a lab measurement.
Aroma
Nutrition · per 100 g serving
What's in a wedge.
A 100 g serving — about a finger-thick wedge. Daily values use the FDA 2020 reference of 2,000 kcal. Expect ±5% variation between wheels.
Serve, cut & store
Out of the fridge,
into its prime.
Guidance for hard cheeses — general practice, not a per-wheel measurement.
Rest
Take it out about 30–60 min before serving — cold stiffens the fat and locks up the aromas; cool room temperature is when the flavour shows up.
Cut
Use a sturdy knife, or break it into craggy chunks with a spike — shards and shavings beat neat slices.
Store
Wrap leftovers in cheese paper or wax paper — never cling film, which suffocates the rind — and keep them in the warmest part of the fridge.
Rule of thumb: the softer and riper, the longer it needs. Thick pieces need longer than thin — and don't leave cheese out much past two hours.
Pairings · Caseo curated
What goes with Boerenkaas.
42 pairings across 7 categories.
Wine
Beer & Cider
Where to find it
Cheese counters.
Counter listings for Boerenkaas are being verified. Check back soon.
Verified counter listings coming soon. Our team updates listings monthly.
Substitutes
No Boerenkaas at the counter?.
These will play a similar role on the board and in the pan.
Take it with you
Want to remember this one?.
Log it, pair it, and keep your own tasting notes — Caseo is free.
