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EDAM
(EE-duhm)
A
mild Dutch cheese Common clues: Dutch cheese; Big cheese in
Holland; Cheese coated with red wax; Dutch export; Mild cheese;
Cheese town; Cheese that's made backwards? Crossword
puzzle frequency:
10 times a year Frequency
in English language:
40823 / 86800 Video: Edam
cheese market
A
cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naïve, it
may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains cheese, milk's leap
toward immortality
~ Clifton Fadiman
Edam
(Dutch Edammer) is a Dutch cheese traditionally sold in spheres
with a pale yellow interior and a coat of red paraffin wax. It is
named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland,
where the cheese is coated for export sale and for the tourist
high season. Edam which has aged for at least 17 weeks is coated
with black wax, rather than the usual red or yellow. Edam ages
and travels well, and does not spoil easily; these qualities
(among others) made it the world's most popular cheese between
the 14th and 18th centuries, both at sea and in remote colonies.
It is popular in North America, the Nordic countries, and many
other countries around the world.
[Courtesy:
Lori
Alden]
Most
"young" Edam cheese sold in stores has a very mild
flavor, is slightly salty or nutty, and has almost no smell when
compared to other cheeses. As the cheese ages, its flavor
sharpens, and it becomes firmer. It has a significantly lower fat
content than many other traditional cheeses: as little as 28
percent of the cheese is made up of fat. Modern Edam is softer
than other cheeses, such as Cheddar, due to its low fat content.
Mild
Edam goes well with fruit such as peaches, melons, apricots, and
cherries. Aged Edam is often eaten with traditional "cheese
fruits" like pears and apples. Like most cheeses, it is
commonly eaten on crackers and bread. Pinot gris dry Riesling,
semidry Riesling, Champagne, Chardonnay and Shiraz/Syrah are some
recommended wines to accompany this cheese.
A
major producer of Edam is the Friesland Foods company in The
Netherlands. In the U.S., the May-bud brand is sold by the Churny
Company, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods. A minor producer is the
Mississippi State University Agricultural and Forestry Experiment
Station, a research branch of the University.
In
Spain and many Latin American countries, the cheese was long
considered a delicacy. In the Mexican state of Yucatan, it is
prepared as queso relleno (stuffed cheese). The piece of cheese
is cut in half, leaving the protective paraffin cover. Then, most
of the cheese is carved out and mixed with meat and vegetables,
and put back into the paraffin shell. Finally, it is grated for a
short lapse in an oven[clarification needed]. It is also the most
common cheese used in the popular snack in the Czech Republic and
Slovakia where it may be served with a slice of ham, and always
with tartar sauce or mayonnaise. In the Philippines, it is named
queso de bola, and is especially popular during Christmas season,
served with hamon during the midnight meal.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Edam
cheese".
17
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