I have a problem. A gouda problem. I was warned that the gouda in the Netherlands would be superior to the gouda in Canada, but not only is it superior, it’s addictive. I bought my first hunk of gouda within my first week. I figured I should see what all the fuss was about.
First of all, cheese is way cheaper here than in Canada. In Canada, eight dollars gets you a tiny chunk of good cheese. Here, $8 gets you over 400 grams of delicious cheese. And man, is it delicious. It’s becoming an obsession. I crave it. I look forward to eating it with crackers, putting it in salad, or just eating it on its own. I went as far as to message all my friends to tell them the wonders of gouda.
One of the wonders though has nothing to do with taste. It’s the fact that I’ve been saying it wrong my whole life. I was gushing over how tasty and wonderful this Dutch cheese was, when one of my Dutch classmates stopped me in confusion as to what cheese I was referring to. Turns out it’s actually pronounced ‘how-dah’ in Dutch, so if you say ‘good-ah,’ Dutch people will judge you.
The cheese is named after the region Gouda, which also is the origin of another Dutch favourite: stroopwafels. Upon my arrival in Amsterdam, my Dutch classmate greeted me with stroopwafels, which translates to syrup waffle. Stroopwafels are like the Dutch cookie. Basically, you take two thin waffles and glue them together with a caramel spread.
It was my go-to snack when I had yet to go grocery shopping and needed something to eat. Now, it’s my go-to when I want something sweet. Thus far, I have only had the store-bought version, but soon I plan to try the fresh version, which might replace gouda as my favourite Dutch thing.
Next on the menu was bitterballen. Bitterballen is a regular in Dutch pubs. The appetizer is basically a deep fried meatball. They usually contain either ground or chopped beef or veal with spices, broth, flour, and butter. The ingredients are cooked together, then refrigerated and rolled into balls. From there they are breaded and deep-fried.
Personally, I found the texture odd. I was expecting a solid filling, but the consistency was closer to paste. I also had a hard time tasting any meat. Part of this, however, might be due to the fact that they were served piping hot and I ended up burning my tongue. The mayonnaise on the side helped to put out the fire.
This is just the beginning of my Dutch adventures. I still have four months to try more gouda, and maybe wait longer before I pop a bitterballen in my mouth. Stay tuned, Canada!
