Mustard, apple butter and sausage, the Dutch way 5
Apple butter (appelstroop)Spread it thin on bread and lay a slice of aged gouda over it.
Dry sausage, slicedCut thin coins and pile them next to the cubes.
Dutch mustardSet a small bowl beside the cubes and dip one corner.
Raw beef sausage (ossenworst)Slice it thin and keep it cold until the board goes out.
Stem ginger in syrupSpear a piece on a cocktail stick with a cube of cheese.
Fruit, nuts and biscuits 6
Apple slicesCut them at the last moment so they stay crisp and pale.
Caramel syrup waffles (stroopwafels)Break one into quarters and eat a piece with a sliver of old gouda.
Dried cranberriesScatter a few around an aged wedge for something sharp and chewy.
Pear slicesPick a ripe pear and set it next to the oldest wedge you have.
Roasted almondsLeave them whole and put a spoon in the bowl.
Spiced biscuits (speculaas)Serve one beside a wedge of old gouda when the coffee comes.
Bread, rusks and crackers 7
Currant buns (krentenbollen)Split one, butter it and close it over a slice of aged gouda.
Dutch rusks (beschuit)Butter the rusk first so the slice of cheese stays put.
Frisian rye bread (roggebrood)Butter a thin slice and cover it with a single slice of cheese.
Plain butter crackersPick a mild cracker and let the cheese do the talking.
Soft roll with ham, egg, cucumber and tomatoLay the cheese under the ham so the roll holds together.
Spiced breakfast cake (ontbijtkoek)Butter a thick slice and lay young gouda on top.
Tiger breadSlice it thick and let the crackled crust do the crunching.
Hot dishes with gouda melted in 9
Belgian endive baked with ham and cheeseRoll each head in ham, cover it with grated gouda and bake until it bubbles.
Cheese shell stuffed with spiced chicken (keshi yena)Bake it until the cheese slumps and spoon it out at the table.
Fried cheese pastry (kaassoufflé)Let it cool a little before the first bite, since the middle runs.
Fried eggs on bread with ham and gouda (uitsmijter)Lay the cheese on the bread and slide the hot eggs over it.
Fries with kebab meat, melted gouda and salad (kapsalon)Melt the cheese over the meat before the cold salad goes on.
LasagnaGrate gouda over the top layer so it browns and bubbles in the oven.
Pancake with cheese and bacon (pannenkoek)Scatter grated cheese over the batter while the first side cooks.
Potato and raw endive mash (stamppot)Stir cubes of young gouda through the hot mash so they just soften.
Toasted ham and cheese sandwichPress it in a pan until the cheese runs out at the edges.
For smoked gouda 3
HamburgersLay a slice on the patty while it is still on the heat.
Macaroni and cheeseSwap part of the cheese in the sauce for smoked gouda.
Shepherd's pieStir grated smoked gouda into the mash before it goes on top.
Drinks 2
Cold buttermilk (karnemelk)Pour a glass to go with a cheese sandwich at lunch.
Cold chocolate milkOne for the children, with bread and cheese.
How it works
What to eat with gouda cheese? In the Netherlands, cubes of it often come with mustard. These 32 ideas run from the Dutch board to fruit, bread and rusks, hot dishes, three for smoked gouda and two drinks without alcohol.
Read the full guide
How gouda is eaten in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands older gouda is sometimes topped with sugar or apple butter. Cheese is also one of the most popular toppings for bread there, and the lunch dish called an uitsmijter is fried eggs on white bread, typically with ham and gouda.
What to eat gouda cheese with as it ages
Young gouda is very mild, so put it on buttered bread, a rusk or a pancake. With age it turns sweet like caramel and slightly crunchy: set fruit, almonds or a syrup waffle beside it.
Cut young gouda into cubes and shave an aged wedge thin, since old cheese crumbles under the knife.
Trim away the wax or plastic coating before the cheese goes on the board.
Questions and answers
What do you eat with gouda cheese?
On a board: apple and pear slices, roasted almonds, dark rye bread and thin coins of dry sausage. For something sharper, spear a piece of stem ginger with a cube. At lunch, try a soft roll or a toasted ham and cheese sandwich.
What to eat with smoked gouda?
Melt a slice on a hamburger, swap it for part of the cheese in macaroni and cheese, or stir it into the mash on a shepherd's pie. Cold, its smoke suits apple slices, rye bread and plain butter crackers.
What crackers go with gouda cheese?
A plain butter cracker, mild enough to let the cheese lead. In the Netherlands a rusk, called beschuit, is eaten at breakfast with cheese. For bread, pick dark Frisian rye or tiger bread.
What fruit goes well with gouda cheese?
Apples and pears, sliced just before serving, and dried cranberries beside an aged wedge. Apple butter gives the same sweetness from a jar. For a sweet finish that is not fruit, try a stroopwafel, a syrup waffle first made in the city of Gouda.
What do you drink with gouda?
Without alcohol: a glass of cold buttermilk with a cheese sandwich, or cold chocolate milk for the children at the table.