Dutch cheese markets facts for kids
Imagine a bustling market square filled with huge wheels of cheese! For hundreds of years, Dutch farmers have brought their delicious cheeses to town to sell them. Special teams of cheese-porters, called kaasdragers, would carry the heavy cheeses. These porters wore different colored straw hats to show which company they belonged to. They used big barrows that could hold up to 160 kilograms (about 350 pounds) of cheese!
Buyers would taste the cheese and then negotiate prices. They used a fun, traditional way called handjeklap, where they clapped hands and shouted prices. Once a price was agreed, the porters would take the cheese to the Waag, which is a special weigh house, to make sure everyone got the right amount.
Today, there are five famous cheese markets in the Netherlands: Woerden, Alkmaar, Gouda, Edam, and Hoorn. All of these markets were busy trading centers during the 17th century, known as the Dutch Golden Age. Now, they still sell cheese from farmers. They also put on exciting shows that re-enact how cheese was sold long ago. During summer, you can find stalls selling traditional Dutch items around these markets.
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Woerden Cheese Market
The Woerden cheese market is a real commercial market for farmers' cheeses. It doesn't have as many shows as the other markets. For over 100 years, every Wednesday morning, farmers and the market foreman (marktmeester) meet. They set prices for different types of cheese. The cheeses sold here are boerenkazen, which means "farmers' cheeses". Many cheese lovers think these taste better and are more authentic than factory-made cheese.
Woerden's Historic Cheese Market
Every August, on the last Wednesday of the summer school break, Woerden holds a special historic cheese market. On this day, cheese farmers and their families dress up in old-fashioned clothes. They re-enact how the traditional cheese markets used to look and feel many years ago.
Alkmaar Cheese Market
Alkmaar has a large cheese market that is over 400 years old. It is located on the Waagplein, which means "weighing square". This market is open every Friday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. It starts on the first Friday in April and ends on the last Friday of September. In some years, there are also evening markets. Market activities are explained in many languages, like Dutch, German, English, Spanish, French, and sometimes Japanese.
The Alkmaar Cheese Guild
The Alkmaar Cheese Guild (Kaasdragersgilde) was started on June 17, 1593. It has 30 men who work together under their leader, the Cheese Father. The guild meets in the weighing square. Its members are split into four groups called Forwarding Companies. You can tell these companies apart by the color of their straw hats: red, blue, green, or yellow.
Each Forwarding Company has six carriers. These carriers do many different jobs at the market. There is also one Tasman, who is in charge of putting weights on the cheese scales.
Roles in the Guild
- Zetter: This is the first guildsman to arrive at the market. He brings the cheese from storage to the market in the morning. He wears black pants and a blue shirt.
- Ingooier: This person takes the cheese from the market back to storage at the end of the day. He wears black pants and a light fawn shirt.
- Temporary worker: This person is not yet a full guild member. They must train for at least two years before they can join the guild.
- Bootelier: This person is responsible for getting drinks for his company after the market closes.
- Voorman: This is the head of a Forwarding Company. Often, they are the oldest member of their company. Every two years, each company chooses a Voorman. They wear a silver sign with a ribbon and a bow tie in their company's color.
- Cheese Father: He is the head of the entire guild. He wears a white suit with an orange hat and carries an orange cane. All guild members call him "Dad".
Market Traditions
The men of the cheese guilds follow strict rules for how they act and what they wear. If they don't follow the rules, there are consequences. For example, the provost marshal collects fines from men who are late or whose uniforms are not "white as snow". The money from these fines helps support a local school.
The carriers must be at the weighing house by 7:00 am on market day. They set everything up so the market is ready to open by 10:00 am. Every Friday, just before the market opens, the Cheese Father gives a speech. He checks if all the companies are there. He also tells them if any important guests will visit and how much cheese (in metric tons) is at the market that day.
At exactly 10:00 am, the town bell rings to announce the opening of the cheese market. Special guests are invited each week to ring the bell, which is a great honor. The market has opened this way every Friday since 1593. The only time it stopped was during World War II for safety reasons. But it opened again right after the war. People were very happy to see the markets return because cheese was hard to find during the war.
Selling the Cheese
Once the market opens, samplers, wearing white lab coats, use a special scoop. They check the inside of the cheese wheels. The sampler checks how the cheese feels, smells, and tastes. They also look at the cheese to make sure it has "eyes" (holes) that are spread out evenly.
Once a batch of cheese is sold, it is carried to the scales to be weighed. The cheese is moved on a wooden barrow carried by two men. These barrows can hold up to 130 kilograms (287 pounds) of cheese! To carry the barrows steadily and safely, the carriers walk in a special synchronized rhythm. This is known as the "cheese carriers’ dripple".
When the cheese reaches the scales, the Tasman weighs it. The Weighing Master, or "Waagmeester", watches to make sure the buyer gets the correct amount of cheese. The Weighing Master is a public servant and not part of the cheese guild. The guild members follow a motto: "Een valse Waghe is de Heere een gruwel". This means "a false balance is an abhorrence in the eyes of the Lord". The market closes promptly at 1:00 pm. All unsold cheese is carried back to the hauler's truck for storage.
Edam Cheese Market
At the Edam cheese market, you'll find lots of Edam cheese! Horse-drawn carriages and boats bring farmers' cheeses to the Jan van Nieuwenhuizen Square. They are presented at the current weigh house, which was built in 1778. This traditional market is open in July and August on Wednesday mornings, from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm.
Gouda Cheese Market
Gouda cheese has been traded at the Goudse kaasmarkt for over 300 years. Today, it is open from mid-June until August. It takes place every Thursday morning between 10:00 am and 12:30 pm. Farmers from the area gather to have their cheese weighed, tasted, and priced. Around the Gouda cheese market, you can also see many exhibitions of old Dutch crafts. These include cheese making, clog making, and preparing buttermilk.
Hoorn Cheese Market
The Hoorn cheese market opened in 2007 on the Roode Steen square. It takes place between June 28 and September 20 on Thursdays. There are two sessions: one from 12:30 pm to 1:45 pm, and another from 9:00 pm to 10:15 pm. You can hear live explanations about carrying the cheese, weighing it, and negotiating prices in both Dutch and English.
