Maasdam is a traditional, semi-hard Dutch cheese made from cow’s milk. The most characteristic feature is its ‘eyes’ (holes) that make up most of the cheese. The cheese was created in the early 1990s as an alternative to more expensive Swiss Emmental cheese. It is a high-fat cheese with a minimum of 45% fat. Although similar to Emmental, the moisture content in Maasdam is more, making it suppler. Nearly 15% of Dutch cheese production is made up of Maasdam.
It ripens faster than other Dutch cheeses, being ready in four to 12 weeks. The outside shell of the cheese has smooth, waxed yellow or naturally polished rind similar to Gouda. Inside the pate is a semi-firm, pale yellow with big eyes. It has a creamy texture and a sweet, buttery, nutty taste with a fruity background. If eaten young, it tastes delectable with a sandwich or as a snack. Satiate your taste buds by melting the cheese on casseroles, soups or fondues.
Maasdam cheese has all of the traits of Leerdammer cheese except for the brand name, which resides exclusively with Le Groupe Bel. It pairs well with White Zinfandel, Lager, Pale Ale, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chianti.

Maasdam

FrieslandCampina

FITAKI White cheese is a Mediterranean cheese made using fresh cow's milk, made by Käserei Champignon, Lauben / Allgäu, Germany. The cheese is stored in a brine that gives a slight salty taste to the cheese. Packed in a vacuum foil retains its fresh aroma. The cheese has a delicate, piquant taste. Suitable for hot and cold dishes and many Mediterranean dishes.
The cheese is available in different types and shapes such as:
- FITAKI Original: packed in tetra pack
- FITAKI Cheese cubes with hearbs: deeped in vegetable oil with Mediterranean herbs namely oregano, thyme and paprika
- FITAKI Cheese cubes with olives: deeped in vegetable oil with black or green olives
- FITAKI Crème: a spreadable cheese available in different variety such as: Creme Olive (pieces of olive), Creme Zaziki (cucumber and garlic)

FITAKI White Cheese

Käserei Champignon

Weichkaese is German for "soft cheese". It is a generic term for all soft cheeses with a relatively high water content of around 50% and above. Weichkaese may be made from pasteurised milk, thermized milk or from raw milk and has a maturity period of few weeks. There are two varieties of Weichkaese: white cheese with a velvety white coating of a mould such as Brie, Camembert Suisse or Tomme and soft cheese with brown smeared rind, like Reblochon, Limburger, Muenster or Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOP.
Weichkaese is a popular dessert cheese that pairs well with fruits and bread as a snack. It is also suitable for baked dishes or for browning vegetables and potatoes. If stored in a cool place, soft cheese lasts for one week.

Weichkaese

Edelpilz is a German blue vein cheese made from cow’s milk similar to Danish Blue. It’s a semi-hard cheese with a soft rind, sometimes known as German Blue. It has a subtle spiciness, and tastes strong when consumed a big bite. It has a fat content of 22%, and made of 100% natural production process with no preservatives.

Edelpilz

Marie Harel, created the original Camembert cheese from raw milk, in Normandy, France, in 1971. Today, however, a very small percentage of producers make cheese from raw milk with the same process as Marie Harel would have used. Those that do produce cheese using this method can legally call their cheese Camembert Normandie under the AOC guidelines. However, the production of Camembert cheese has now transcended the AOC designation. Very good varieties of Camembert cheese made from pasteurised milk can be found in Normandy today. The best of them is the Camembert Le Châtelain.
The fresh Camembert cheese is bland, hard and crumbly in texture when fresh. As the cheese matures it forms a smooth, runny interior and a white bloomy rind that is typical to Camenbert cheese. It has a rich, buttery flavour. The rind is bloomy white caused by a white fungus, called penicillium candidum. It is meant to be eaten with the cheese.
This cheese is best paired with a light red wine such as Beaujolais, Chenin Blanc, St Emilion, St Estephe or traditionally a glass of Normandy cider.
Original Camembert has AOC designation only if made from raw milk. However, you will find many Camembert cheeses made from pasteurised milk both in and outside of France. Young Camembert has a milky and sweet taste, while after ripening it becomes strong and fruity.

Alexandre Marcondes

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