Leerdammer is a relatively new cheese. It is named after the town of Leerdam in the Netherlands. Leerdammer is a registered brand name. The generic name for the cheese is Maasdam.
Made from pasteurized cow's milk, Leerdammer has a sweet, nutty, mild taste and a slightly elastic semi-hard texture with lots of holes. It has been described as a cross between Emmental and Gouda. It is aged 3-12 months.
The holes in the cheese, just like those in Emmantal, are created by bacteria. Changing the temperature, acidity, and fermentation time changes the size of the holes.
History
Cees Boterkooper owned a small dairy in the town of Schoonrewoerd, just outside of Leerdam, where he made Edam. Bastiaan Baars ran a cheese shop in a nearby village. The two met in 1970 and soon afterward decided to work together. They attempted to create a cheese to compete with Edam and Gouda. In 1977 the created Leerdammer. The product was launched commercially in 1984.
More information
The Bel Group, the company that owns the name Leerdammer has information about Leerdammer at this page from their UK site and this page from another corporate site.
Where to buy
If you live in Europe, Leerdammer is quite easy to find as it is one of Europe's most commercially successful cheeses. In the United States your best bet is to look in specialty grocery stores that import from Europe.
Leerdammer is available in many other parts of the world as well. If you can't find it, you can order it online through Amazon.
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Comments
LAURENCE LANG
22 November 2011 9:34 am
love leerdammer cheeses. where can i buy them in mn.
Annette Marshall
19 November 2012 1:34 am
I love Leerdammer original. I have only been able to get it twice. I would love to know where I could get it. The only time I was able to get it, it was at Sams.
Marvin Weiss
10 January 2013 6:31 pm
Can someone explain the differences, if any exist, between leerdammer swiss cheese and maasdam swiss cheese, which is supposed to be the generic form of leerdammer swiss cheese. Also, can someone tell me if leerdammer swiss cheese if being made in January, 2013.