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FORMAGGIO.IT Il Portale del Formaggio |
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Boeren-Leidse met sleutels |
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| Name of Group of Producers | Inspection Body |
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Vereniging van Boeren-Leidse Kaasmakers Sweilandpolder,
9 |
C.O.K.Z. (Centraal
Orgaan Kwaliteitsaangelegenheden in de Zuivel)Postbus 250, 3830 AG
LEUSDEN |
| Date of Registration: 13.06.97 | |
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"Boeren-Leidse met sleutels" is a semi-hard farm cheese with a fat content in the dry matter of at least 30% and at most 40%, robust so hard, sliceable and, with age, suitable for grating, prepared from semi-skimmed milk which has not undergone any pasteurising heat treatment and to which cumin must be added during preparation. Production of "Boeren-Leidse met sleutels" originated in the river basin of the Oude Rijn in the province Zuid-Holland, in the area surrounding the Town of Leiden, after which the cheese was first named some three hundred years ago. The production area, where "Boeren-Leidse" met sleutels" has been produced in the traditional way for many years; includes: -the polder district (hoogheemraadschap) of Rijinland -the polder district of Amstel en Vecht -the polder district of Delfland -the polder district of Schieland -the greater water board district of Woerden -the water board district of Leidse Rijn -the rural district of Westerkoggenland, the Beschoot polder -the rural district of Giessenlande, the polder of Over- en Neder Slingeland -the rural district of Udenhout The area covers some 215,000 ha in total. The Vereniging van Boeren-Leidse Kaasmakers was founded on 28 October 1927 with the objective of promoting the interests of the Boeren-Leidse cheesemakers. A region which was considered to be particularly good for the dairy industry is the present Netherlands and Belgium. Here there were large pasture lands, particularly along the North Sea, and milk production rapidly became very significant. As early as 1184, cheese was sent from Holland to Paris, and in the following centuries Dutch cheese became an international product. The latter cheese was also called Stolkse Kaas after the town of Stolwijk. Near Leiden, Leiden cheese was made; it was characterised by the coat of arms of Leiden, two crossed keys. It is plausible to see in it the origin of the Norwegian Nokkelost (key cheese)". Because this artisanally-produced cheese was traded from the 17th-18th century in Leiden, production has traditionally been concentrated around that town. Farm cheese must be made using milk from not more than two successive milkings. Any quantities of milk not used straight away must be cooled to not more than 10°C immediately after milking. The milk is coagulated with rennet for half an hour at a temperature of 29-30°. Once the milk has been sufficiently coagulated, the curd is hopped into pieces of about 1½ cm. This process takes about 15-20 minutes. After being left for a short time to settle, the curds and whey mixture is heated using hot water and left to ripen further. A small amount of the curd is set aside for the so-called "witte bodems" (literally: white bottoms) which prevent the cumin seeds from collecting in the rind on the smooth sides of the cheese. The rest of the curd is mixed with cumin seed, at a ratio of about 75g of seed per 100 litres of milk. Pressing is carried out in two stages. During the second stage each cheese is indelibly stamped with the imprint of two crossed keys circled by the words "Boeren-Leidse-met-sleutels". Next the cheese is placed in brine at a strength of 20° Bé for five or six days. The rind of the "Boeren-Lindse met sleutels" is coloured red using anatto and/or treated with a red/red-brown coloured cheese rind treatment product. Cheeses weighing three kilograms or more are kept for at least 13 days at a temperature of at least 12°. |
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Netherlands |  |