Gouda Cheese

Anyone know where's the best place to buy Gouda chesse in Wilemstad? And is there any problem bringing it back into the US. I haven't found anything saying there are any restrictions but I'd hate to have to leave 15 lbs of cheese sitting on the customs officer's desk.

George

I'm wondering the same thing! Curacao will be our last stop, so I'm hoping to bring back a bit of cheese - maybe a bit less than 15 pounds. ;)

Last time I was there we had no problem bringing it back, although we flew. That being said, there are many stores in Wilemstad that sell all kinds of cheeses. Make sure you try the Dutch chocolates as well. They're the best!!!!!

If you're going to bother buying Dutch Gouda, then I suggest you make it worth your while. Buy the kind of Gouda that you can NOT purchase in the U.S. It's called the Very Old Aged Gouda (I'd ask my Dutch husband how you say it in Dutch, but he's sleeping at the moment). This is VERY different tasting than the regular Gouda that you buy in the states....in fact once you've tasted the very aged Gouda, you'll never want to eat the stateside Gouda again.....it's that different. Ask for a sample when you're there and you'll see what I mean. They have varying degrees of "aged"....the older it is, the sharper and also "dryer" it is. We actually buy a whole wheel every few months from a Canadian importer who ships it to us.

So a question.....how many wheels can you bring back with you?? I'm ready to fill an entire suitcase with them, haha.

Me, too!

I obviously like really bad Gouda (if you can call it that), so I'll be VERY happy with a wheel of really good Gouda. :) Thanks for the info!

I Brought back 3 big wheels of gouda and 3 of the small wheels variety pack from Aruba this past oct. No problem bring them back, they even sell them at the airport(of course more expensive). Gouda doesn't need refrigeration until you open the wheel so it is ok to buy it even if Curacao or Aruba isn't your last port of call.

PREMIUMRICAN: Do you happen to remember how much the large wheel was and also the smaller one, thanks. Marlene

I have a really dumb question, but please forgive me. :o We're taking a Thanksgiving cruise to the Caribbean. I plan to pick up some rum cakes to serve with chocolate truffles at my nieces wedding on NYE. We're also serving a cheese course, & it would be great to pick up some of the "great" Gouda in Curacao. My question is, how long can I store it? Would Nov. 23rd to NYE be too long? Thanks :)

The Old (Oude) Gouda and the Very Old Gouda store for a long long time. We buy the whole wheel (which is coated in that thick wax) and just cut a wedge out and keep the rest in the wax. We found that covering the exposed cheese with waxed paper first, then cover this with a paper towel soaked in white vinegar (which counteracts the mold formation)...then heavy aluminum foil over that.

Our wheel has lasted 4 months without any "penicillin" growing anywhere using this method. So you should be just fine saving it for the holidays.

Nancy

Nancy,

Thanks :) I'll definitely plan to get some. Do you happen to know how much I can expect to pay for a wheel? Also, where do I find it in Willemstad? Will I have any problems carrying it on or off the ship? Thanks again :)

Haven't seen an answer on a good place to buy Gouda - any suggestions?

Does anyone have any info for best location to buy cheese and the price for a wheel?

Does anyone have any info for best location to buy cheese and the price for a wheel?

I don't remember the price I paid for the wheel of cheese but it wasn't expensive. There is a store in Curacao in the shopping area called Little Holland that sells the cheese. If you are stopping in Aruba there is a supermarket not too far from the port that sells the cheese.

Does anyone have any info for best location to buy cheese and the price for a wheel?

We were in Curacao the last week of September and found the cheese in three diferent stores in the Punda area. We didn't have to look hard. The big wheel (9 lbs.) was selling for $21, $23, and $25. Natuarlly we paid $21. The Little Holland store that was mentioned earlier was closed for renovations. We could'nt find any Old or aged cheese. The owners said they couldn't sell it because it was too expensive.

Two days later we were in St. Maartin and we found the same brand for $20 in a local grocery store (turn at the Champs Sporting Goods store on Front Street and go back two streets turning right). This store also sold the aged or Old cheese.

Can you buy a smaller piece of Gouda cheese than 9 lb.?

Can you buy a smaller piece of Gouda cheese than 9 lb.?

Yes, they sell a three pack of three different varities (I think 1 lb each) for about $15-$18. And I saw Edam and Gouda in 5 lb balls for around $15. I was more interested in the 9 lb wheel, so I'm not exactly sure on the other two sizes/prices. Remember that the cheese must be encased in wax in order for it to be allowed back into the US.

Just returned from our cruise 10/8-10/15 and when in Curacao we stopped in a grocery store just off the main shopping strip and found a big wheel of Gouda for $17.00n the store did have smaller wheels but I don't know what the price of the small one was since I wanted the big one. It was encased in wax and we had NO problems taking it back home to Ohio. We were inspected going out of San Juan and they werre curious about the cheese and all the Royal Caribbean glass cups hubby just had to bring home.

~Lisa