Leyden, or Leidse kaas, is a firm Dutch cow's milk cheese from the city of Leiden in South Holland, traditionally made with whole cumin seeds worked right into the paste. It's a lower-fat recipe than its Gouda cousins, which is part of why the flavor reads sharper and tangier, with the cumin lifting the whole thing into aromatic territory. The paste is dense and pressed, pale yellow, and breaks in clean slabs under the knife with little crunchy pops every time you hit a seed. Up front you get that tangy cow's milk pull, then the cumin opens up in the middle of the palate, warm and aromatic rather than hot, with a savory finish that lingers in the back of the nose. With a few more months on it the spice concentrates and the paste tightens, which is when this cheese really hits its stride. This is one of those cheeses that earns its place by being unmistakable. There is no other cow's milk cheese in the Dutch tradition that tastes like Leyden, and once you've had a properly aged wheel the spiced-Gouda category sort of stops making sense without it.
