Gouda, Edam, and Leiden cheeses are among the most prominent of all Dutch cheeses.

There are too many cheeses to give an explanation of each, however, other cheeses are Frisian, Limburger, Cream, May, Quark, Kernhem, Bluefort, Subenhara, Maasdam, Amsterdam, Mimolette Commission, Maasland, Texelaar-Kollumer, Pompadour, Botanica, Onion, Shepherd, Butter, Diet, and Processed, each containing their own unique flavor.

Cheese Markets
In the olden days, the farmer took his cheese to a nearby cheese market once a week looking for a bidder. Today, the cheese markets at Gouda and Alkmaar, open during the summer months, is a continuation of this ritual. The process is as following: a buyer approaches a farmer and offers him a price. This price is immediately rejected and the buyer leaves, only to return shortly with a second bid.

At this time, the farmer raises the price and the buyer walks away. He returns a third time when a price is finally agreed upon and the cheese is officially weighed. The buyer is also engaging himself in what is known as "Cheese bashing" as this form of haggling is occurring. He bangs the palm of his hand against the cheese to determine whether the holes in the cheese are the right size. The banging occurs until an agreed price is determined. Each slap of the hand means that either the buyer has increased his offer or the farmer has decreased the price.

Once this procedure has ended the buyer samples the cheese. This is done with a six inch cheese borer which the buyer plunges into the cheese so that the "stick" that was scooped out can be tested for flavor and age. At the official weighing of the cheeses, the cheese bearers, each wearing different colors depending for whom they work, carry the cheeses on cheese "stretchers" to and from the weigh-houses.

There are cheese weigh-houses in the towns of Hoorn, Edam, Leiden, Leeuwarden, Alkmaar, and Gouda. Today, however, only three of the towns actually market the farmhouse cheeses: They are Gouda, Woerden, and Bodegraven.

The Alkmaar cheese market is held every Friday morning at 10 a.m. (from April to September) in front of the historical weigh house, in the pretty town center. The “Waag” (weigh house) in Gouda is one of many beautiful monuments in town and dates from 1668. During the summer, cheese is weighed here every Thursday morning in an attractive ceremony drawing many tourists. Anyone interested or hungry can also take the opportunity to taste some authentic Gouda cheese.