The first mention of Gouda cheese dates from 1184, making it one of the oldest recorded cheeses in the world still made today. Gouda is typically made from pasteurised cow’s milk, although some artisan varieties use sheep’s or goat’s milk to produce cheeses that are going to be aged for a long time. Most Dutch Gouda is now produced industrially, but some 300 Dutch farmers still produce boerenkaas ('farmers cheese') which is a PDO protected form of Gouda made in the traditional manner using unpasteurised milk.

After cultured milk is curdled, some of the whey is then drained and water is added. This is called 'washing the curd' and creates a sweeter cheese, as it removes some of the lactose, resulting in a reduction of lactic acid produced. About 10% of the mixture is curds, which are pressed into circular moulds for several hours giving the traditional characteristic shape. The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution, which gives the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste. It is then dried for a few days before being coated with a yellow wax coating to prevent it from drying out. It is then aged, during which process the cheese changes from semi-hard to hard.

The resulting texture is compact, crumbly, dense and springy with a pungent aroma and with a creamy, nutty and sweet flavour.