The Historic Cheese Market of Gouda
On a recent sunny morning in Gouda, a picturesque city in the Netherlands, the town square was transformed into a vibrant cheese market, with hundreds of wheels of golden-yellow cheese meticulously arranged on the cobblestones. This weekly cheese market, a beloved tradition, has its roots in the Middle Ages and continues to attract both locals and tourists alike.
Among the bustling crowd, Ad van Kluijve, a dedicated farmer clad in a blue work shirt, a striking red bandanna, a matching blue cap, and traditional wooden clogs, engaged in spirited negotiations with a buyer over the price of his latest batch of “jong belegen”. This cheese is renowned for its mild caramel flavor and is just one of the many varieties named after the city where it is traded.
While the haggling between vendors and buyers appears lively and interactive, it is largely a theatrical performance aimed at entertaining tourists. In reality, the actual price negotiations typically occur behind the scenes, away from the public eye. Nonetheless, the cheese industry in this region remains a vital part of the Dutch economy, contributing approximately 60 percent of the national cheese production. According to ZuivelNL, the organization representing the Dutch dairy sector, the export value of cheese from this region reaches an impressive $1.7 billion annually.
However, experts warn that the iconic cheese market may not survive the next 50 to 100 years due to a combination of alarming factors. The city of Gouda, built on a foundation of peat marsh, has long been susceptible to subsidence, and the threat is intensifying. Increased rainfall and rising sea levels, both consequences of climate change, pose significant risks of flooding in the river delta where Gouda is located.
“We’re not in good shape,” stated Gilles Erkens, a professor at Utrecht University and the head of a research team dedicated to studying land subsidence at Deltares, a nonprofit research institute. “It’s a very worrisome situation.”
Along one of the central streets in Gouda, the Turfmarkt, the canal water ominously rises to just inches below the top of the canal walls, a stark reminder of the challenges that lie ahead for this historic city.
