Edam Delights: Cheese Heritage & Local Charms

OVERVIEW

Gain a historical perspective of Edam – a city renowned for its eponymous cheese – before traveling into the countryside to a dairy farm that makes it. During an enlightening walk downtown, you can expect to see Edam’s landmark St. Nicholas Church, which was rebuilt following lightning fires in 1602 and 1699. Although those blazes significantly reduced the church’s tower, the building remains a dominant architectural treasure. Still, cheese is always top of mind when visiting Edam and has been since the 17th century when Edam cheese first became popular, especially among sailors that appreciated its long shelf life. While visiting a nearby dairy farm, you will watch the cheese-making process and sample the famed product, which has a mild nutty flavor that becomes tangier as the cheese ages. Incredibly, more than a quarter of the cheese produced in the Netherlands is Edam, a soft cheese made with less milk fat than most other cheeses.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See some of Edam’s most historical landmarks while walking through downtown.
• Stop at a dairy farm that produces Edam’s soft namesake cheese.
• Sample Edam cheese, whose mild nutty flavor changes as it ages.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.