Leyden, from nl, Leidse kaas, is a semi-hard,

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

made in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

from cow's milk. It is made both in factories and on farms, historically in the

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

area. ''Leidse kaas'' is the most common type of ''

komijnekaas Kanterkaas is a Dutch yellow cheese made from cow's milk. Apart from the plain variety, there is Kanterkomijnekaas which is flavored with cumin and Kanternagelkaas flavored with both cumin and cloves. ''Kanter'' is Dutch for 'edge' and refers to ...

''—cheese including cumin as an ingredient—in the Netherlands. The cheese is round and flat like

Gouda Gouda may refer to: * Gouda, South Holland, a city in the Netherlands ** Gouda (pottery), style of pottery manufactured in Gouda ** Gouda cheese, type of cheese originally made in and around Gouda ** Gouda railway station * Gouda, Western Cape, a s ...

however it is made with sharp edges on one side and less roundness to its side. It has a fat percentage of 30% to 40%, and can weigh between and .

Production

On the farms, about 5% of

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mod ...

may be added to the milk, and it is set with

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, such as pepsin and a ...

at a temperature of to . About 30 minutes later, the curd is cut with a harp, stirred, and warmed to about by pouring in hot whey. The curd is dipped with a cloth and kneaded. Cumin seeds are added to a portion of the curd, and the curd is then put into cloth-lined hoops in three layers, with the spiced curd as the middle layer. The cheese is pressed for about three hours, then it is redressed, inverted, and again pressed overnight. It may be salted with dry

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

, or it may be immersed in a

brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for br ...

bath. It is cured in a cool, moist cellar. If the rind becomes too hard, it is washed with whey or salty water.

Origin

Traditionally, the farms in the Netherlands produced butter for the local markets. Butter had to be produced locally as it spoiled quickly. This resulted in a byproduct of semi-skimmed (part skim) milk, which was usually fed to calves, as it was of limited value. Another way to use the milk was to produce low-fat cheese. Low-fat cheeses could be preserved better than full-cream cheese (such as Gouda), especially at higher temperatures. Farmers in the area near Leiden added cumin seeds and used to colour their cheeses using annatto, which gives the cheese its red color. Traditional farm-made ''Leidse kaas'' made in the West of the Netherlands is an EU and UK

Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

named ''Boeren-Leidse met sleutels''.Boeren-Leidse met sleutels
Retrieved on 2009-12-27. The addition ''met sleutels'' (with keys) stems from the city of

's coat of arms that bears a set of keys. A typical analysis of the cheese is: Moisture 40.6%, fat 13.5% and protein, 37.3%.

References

{{Dutch cheeses Dutch cheeses Cow's-milk cheeses

Production

Origin

See also

References