Maasdam

When it comes to cheese, many of us imagine a fragrant soft golden slice with huge holes. And this is maasdam – the main competitor of Swiss cheese. Initially, it was conceived as a budget analogue of Emmental. But the resulting product turned out to be so tasty and original that it was given its own name, which is now known throughout the world. Still would! Today, maasdam, along with edama and gouda, is on the list of the most popular cheeses created in Holland.

What is maasdam

Maasdam is a type of Dutch semi-hard cow’s milk cheese that takes 1 to 3 months to age. The product owes its name to a small Dutch town. True, at its “birth” it received a completely different name, and the history of cheese making in Maasdam began long before the creation of this type of cheese. Researchers suggest that this town has been engaged in dairy business since the XNUMXth century.

The first head of maasdam appeared only in 1984 after the merger of two cheese companies ^[1]. The recipe for this product is the joint creation of two co-owners of the newly created corporation. The first batches of cheese were released under the name Leerdammer, and the creators “christened” their brainchild the twin brother of Swiss cheese. It should be noted that identical ingredients are used for the production of maasdam and emmental, but the Dutch version is characterized by a higher percentage of water, hence the main differences in ripening speed, texture, taste. By the way, for more than 30 years, the Leerdammer has gone through several renamings. At different times it was known as Westberg, Bergumer, Maasdammer, Mirlander, and today it is usually called Maasdam.

Although outwardly it looks like a Swiss relative, the similarities end there. The taste, texture, aroma and even the aging time of both products are significantly different. In order for the emmental to acquire its spicy-sweet taste, its 75-kilogram heads ripen for about a year. Maasdam, on the other hand, is most often kept for a month: this is quite enough for relatively small cheese circles weighing from 6 to 12 kg.

The flesh of Dutch cheese is most often light cream with a yellowish tint. The head may be covered with a natural yellow crust or wax (paraffin). Maasdam is recognized by its smooth, tender flesh riddled with large holes (1-5 cm in diameter). They appear naturally thanks to special bacteria that affect not only the texture of the product, but also its taste.

Maasdam is included in the group of medium-fat cheeses (45% fat, or 26 g per 100 g of product), but this does not prevent it from being very high-calorie. The energy value of 100 g of the Dutch delicacy is 350 kcal ^[2].

How maasdam is made

Interestingly, the process of making maasdam is very similar to the production of gouda or edama. True, only at the initial stage. Further, another technology is used, which allows you to get cheese with beautiful eyes.

The raw material for the future maasdam is most often cow’s milk, although some manufacturers use sheep’s or goat’s. Many people love this type of cheese for its noble sweet-nutty taste, obtained from the mustard, nettle, cloves and pepper knot used in the production.

To prepare 1 kg of cheese, you need 10 liters of unpasteurized milk ^[3]. It also includes a starter containing lactobacilli, rennet and 15% brine. The sourdough is poured into milk heated to 32 degrees and left for half an hour, then the enzyme is added and, having mixed, set aside for another 45 minutes. The resulting curd clot is cut into small cubes, everything is thoroughly mixed for 20 minutes, maintaining a temperature of 32-33 degrees, then left for 5-7 minutes. After that, about a third of the whey is drained and the same amount of water of the same temperature is added instead. Then the contents of the pan should be heated to 42 degrees and stirred for 30 minutes, then left again for 40 minutes. Next, you will have to strain the mixture through gauze, press the resulting lump of cheese with a press (1 kg of cargo is taken per 10 kg of curd mass), after 5 hours the weight of the cargo needs to be increased by another 5 kg. Under the press, the lump should be 5-6 hours. The finished head of cheese is poured with brine for a day, after which the maasdam will begin to ripen. During the first two weeks, the product is kept at + 10-12 degrees, the next 4-6 weeks – at + 16-20 ^[4].

Depending on the aging time, the finished cheese may be young or mature. It takes no more than four weeks to create a young maasdam. Mature can be called a product aged for more than a month. It differs from the young one in a sharper taste with sweet-nutty notes. ^[5].

Benefits and harm to the body

The beneficial properties of maasdam completely depend on the chemical composition of the product, and it must be said that it is quite rich. Like all dairy products, this variety of Dutch cheese is a good source of vitamins A and B. In addition, the product contains essential amino acids and large reserves of protein. In 100 g of cheese, experts counted about 25 g of protein, and this is not so little. ^[2]. In addition, milk protein, which is part of cheese products, has a high biological value. This means that the human body absorbs it quickly and almost completely.

Maasdam as a nutritious snack is very useful for restoring strength after physical or mental stress, as well as for children (especially during the period of active growth and development) and pregnant women. It is recommended to use this kind of cheese after fractures, with diseases of the bones or teeth. In addition, vitamin A, which is part of maasdam, has a beneficial effect on eye health. Regular consumption of Dutch semi-hard cheese will help strengthen the nervous system, improve brain activity, and restore immunity.

But despite all the benefits of maasdam, people with severe diseases of the digestive tract, as well as people suffering from gastritis with high acidity or colitis, should very carefully include this product in their diet. When enjoying a cheese platter, it is advisable not to forget that maasdam is a rather high-calorie product. Therefore, the uncontrolled use of this delicacy can adversely affect the figure. ^[5].

How to choose and store

It is best to buy maasdam with a whole head, because in this case you can be sure of the freshness of the product. But if there is no such possibility or need, then you will have to carefully look at the product. To check the quality of cheese, you should take a thin slice and carefully bend it: it should not crumble, break or stick to your fingers. The fact that the product has lost its freshness is evidenced by an unpleasant ammonia smell. You can determine the age of maasdam by the size of the cheese holes: the longer the product has ripened, the larger the holes. If the eyes are less than 0,5 cm, and their edges are torn and ugly, we can confidently talk about its immaturity. In addition, gourmets are advised to pay attention to the number of holes in the cheese: the more there are, the tastier the cheese product.

Use in cooking

Maasdam, like its Swiss prototype, is ideal for making fondue, and without it one cannot imagine a cheese plate. Typically, such a platter consists of edama, gouda, maasdam, as well as several varieties of blue and spiced cheese. It is good to serve grapes, pieces of apples or pears, as well as honey to a cheese plate.

Good cheese and wine is a classic gastronomic combination. Maasdam is best paired with white wines. According to some gourmets, this cheese perfectly reveals its flavor bouquet in the company of young semi-sweet Muscat or Tokay wines. ^[6]. If red wine is served, then it is better that it be fruity. But maasdam and champagne – a combination, as they say, for an amateur.

Maasdam is considered one of the most versatile types of cheese. It harmonizes perfectly with fruits, fried or baked meat, vegetable dishes, mushrooms, fish.

Fondue

To prepare fondue, you will need 300 ml of dry white wine, 30 g of corn starch, 200 g of maasdam cheese, 200 g of any cheese with spices and freshly ground black pepper (to taste).

Pour wine into a fondue pot and bring to a boil. Separately, dilute starch in 75 ml of cold water; Pour the resulting mixture into wine and mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and add grated cheese. Stir constantly until a homogeneous mass is formed. When the cheese begins to bubble, add ground pepper and keep on fire for another 2-3 minutes. Serve the finished dish with slices of bread or with red sweet peppers, celery or cucumbers.

According to researchers, cheeses have appeared in the human diet for a very long time. Some varieties were created several thousand years ago, others are the creation of modern cheese makers. But when it comes to the benefits of cheese products, it does not matter in which year the recipe appeared. The main thing is that the prepared masterpiece is tasty and healthy, and then it will quickly become a favorite of gourmets, as happened with maasdam.

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