Why is Edam cheese round?

Edam is traditionally made in round balls, which is an unusual shape for a cheese. In this video, I explore the history of why Edam is a round cheese.

Sources
Argeloo, Marc. Hoe De Edammer De Wereld Veroverde: De Geschiedenis Van Een Rond Kaasje. Hoorn, Netherlands: Uniepers, 2011.
Dijkman, Jessica. Shaping Medieval Markets: The Organisation of Commodity Markets in Holland, C. 1200-C.1450. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2011.
Donnelly, Catherine, ed. The Oxford Companion to Cheese. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Kindstedt, Paul. Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilisation. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012.
Smit, H. J. "Het Kamper Pondtolregister Van 1439-1441, Medegedeeld Door Dr. H. J. Smit." In Economisch-Historisch Jaarboek: Bijdragen Tot Do Economische Geschiedenis Van Nederland, edited by Het Nederlansch Economisch-Historisch Archief, vol. 5, 209-296. The Hague: Martius Nijhoff, 1919.

Images
Naval battle by Pierre-Julien Gilbert (public domain)
Cannonballs (Pixabay)
Edam cheese (Pixabay)
Coastal landscape with sailing ships by Abraham Hulk Senior (public domain)
Coastal scene by Simon de Vlieger (public domain)
Ships Passing a Windmill by Abraham Storck (public domain)
“A Castle with a Ship Sailing Nearby” by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom (public domain)
De terugkomst in Amsterdam van de tweede expeditie naar Oost-Indië by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom (public domain)
Dutch East India Company Logo (public domain)
Dutch Ships sailing off a Rocky Shore by Andries van Eertvelt (public domain)

00:00 Introduction
00:53 Why is Edam cheese round?
02:12 When was Edam cheese being shipped overseas?
06:27 Why was Edam cheese good for shipping overseas?
10:28 Why is Edam cheese now made in blocks?
12:16 Outro

#edam #cheese #history #cheesehistory

[frankwiersema]

As a Dutch person, I am genuinely impressed with how you pronounce all the impossible Dutch names. Sure did your homework! Lovely piece of history too

[jakelaurence]

I think one of the main distinguishing features of Edam, and maybe why it's round, is that it's the only cheese that's made backwards

[j.m.b.]

I just always love the fact that you can buy an entire cheese "wheel" in a convenient portion size

[JanLion-zbbd]

Cheese was called "Edam" when it was produced in or above Edam (West Friesland) and traded in Edam.
All Dutch cheeses are round. The reason is that the salt is distributed more evenly this way and it ripens better.
Most cheeses are round only horizontally - these are called flat cheeses. Edam is also round vertically = so it is like a ball. It weighs 1, 7 kilo's which is one sixth of a cut from a flat cheese. As a consumer, you never buy a whole flat cheese, you buy a cut, but you do buy a whole Edam cheese. West Frisian cheese producers did not like to sell cuts from large flat cheeses because. once "opened", the rest of the cheese would get moldy more quickly.

[Torch]

I would think being round and having the air gaps would promote air circulation which would be good for keeping it dry and reducing mold.

[tompommerel]

Great research and explanations. VERY GOOD Dutch pronunciation

[karenmiller]

I speculate that the original cheese was made high on a mountain and traveling down the mountain with square blocks of cheese loaded on mules proved to be difficult so instead they figured out that if they made them round, they could simply roll them down the hill and load them onto the Dutch ships. ❤

[trajan]

In Philippines, Edam cheese is called "Quezo de bola" or ball of cheese in English. It was brought by the Dutch East India Company during Spanish times. It is part of old Christmas tradition, served with Jamon de bola (Ham).
Some new generation in Philippines doesn't like the salty smell of Edam... but for me, it brings back happy childhood memories when mama and papa shares Edam cheese with all of us during "Noche buena". ❤

[jorgepere]

We love ❤️ this cheese in The Yucatán peninsula it has lots of History. Only Familiar to this region today. As we have a large community of Dutch descent.

[ronmoes]

Less acumalation of the bacteria in the process of making cheese, and it also dries much better and evenly

[robertgeorgewerner]

Sorry I'm late to the comments, Julia. I really enjoyed this episode. If you have time, I'd like to get more into the technical methods of how they achieved the spherical shape, especially before modern plastics and other materials. Do you think that the shape and extra effort put into it has an effect on the taste?

I really enjoy seeing how these "mundane" products helped build the modern world. We talk about technology and philosophy and art as building modern civilization, and they certainly help define who we are, but it was the cheese and the salt and the metal working that got us where we are. Thanks again for bringing all of this to light.

[DepressedWhiteBoy]

just saw the name of your channel, instant subscribe

[jcorkable]

Another advantage: nothing like a game of cheeseball to kill the time on long ocean voyages

[mrdanforth]

Here is my theory of why the Edam cheese is round.
When you make cheese you add rennet to a container of milk and it coagulates into curds and whey. You then scoop out the curds and drain off the whey to make cheese. I visualize a 13th century Dutch housewife taking her biggest mixing bowl, lining it with a cloth, and filling it with curds then tying the top and hanging the cheese up to drain. The result would be a round cheese.
If the neighbors copied this method, all the cheeses of that region would be the same, and since they all had mixing bowls of similar size the cheeses would be similar size as well.
Merchants coming to buy cheese would appreciate them being a standard size and shape.
This is the same method used to make puddings as in, the traditional plum pudding.
You said in the beginning the typical farm had only a few cows so it stands to reason the cheese would be made in the farmhouse kitchen. They did not have cheese factories back then. So the cheese would be made using equipment they had on hand.
What do you think?

[somedutchguy]

I think normal Edam cheeses are always yellow. And the red waxed ones are for export, with often a lesser quality. In general it has less fat (40+) than Gouda (48+) making it a bit dryer.

[robicarm]

Maybe you mentioned but did they import other things like grains between them to retain the shape and utilize the shipping?

[jacobotha]

All you need on the other side of the canon is some bread with ham

[IonTrone]

very interesting cheese-o-history of Edam!

in the world of George R. R. Martin (the #asoiaf books), a wheel of cheese is the "canon" way of making it :)

[cheesehistory]

Anyone else got any wild theories about why Edam is round?

[Vigilante-kq]

We regret to inform you, your loved one was cheesed.