Cheeses of Leerdam
A glass-making town on the river Linge that gave its name to Leerdammer, a mild Dutch cheese with large holes.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: April to May for blossom; summer for cycling.
Leerdam is a small town on the river Linge, in the river land south of Utrecht. It is best known in the Netherlands for glass, with a national glass museum and working studios. Its name also went on Leerdammer, a mild, sweet, holed cheese developed in the area in the 1970s to compete with Swiss-style cheeses.
Leerdammer
Leerdammer is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese with large round holes, made with bacteria that produce gas as the cheese ripens, as in Emmentaler. It is milder and sweeter than Swiss cheese and softer in texture. It was first sold in the 1980s and is now a trademark produced in large dairies. Maasdam is a similar Dutch holed cheese.
Glass and rivers
The Leerdam glass factory dates from the late nineteenth century and drew designers such as H. P. Berlage, whose work is in the National Glass Museum. The town has old fortifications and a small harbour. The Linge river and the Betuwe, a region of fruit orchards, surround it, with dairy farms on the low pastures.
A trail idea for Leerdam
- National Glass Museum Dutch glass from the Leerdam factory and beyond.
- Glass studios Watch glassblowers at work in town.
- Linge river Walk or cycle along the river through the polders.
- Betuwe orchards Ride through the fruit country, blossoming in spring.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Leerdam" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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