Edam. 221 



that are common in all markets take their name 

 from Edam, a small town in North Holland, though 

 the cheeses made in the whole of North Holland are 

 practically of this variety. The cheeses are made 

 almost wholly in private dairies, though there are a 

 few factories in which the milk of several farmers is 

 pooled together. The cheeses are made from partly 

 skimmed milk ; ordinarily the milk of the evening 

 is put at once into the cheese making tub, and in 

 the morning the cream that has risen is removed 

 from it for making butter. The fresh morning's 

 milk is added and the whole set immediately at a 

 temperature of 85° F., with enough rennet to coagu- 

 late it in about 40 minutes somewhat softer than for 

 ordinary cheese making. When the coagulation is 

 sufficiently advanced the curd is broken with a wire 

 curd breaker, the bars of which are about three- 

 fourths of an inch apart. The breaking is done at 

 first gently into large pieces and afterward more 

 vigorously, a constant agitation being kept up by the 

 breaker which results in breaking the curd into finer 

 and finer pieces. After the whey begins to separate 

 a portion is drawn off and heated upon a stove, the 

 agitation meanwhile of the curd and the remaining 

 whey being constantly kept up. When the whey is 

 sufficiently warm so that when added to the whole 

 mass it will bring the contents of the tub up to 85° F., 

 the heated whey is added and the stirring with the 

 breaker kept up for a full hour, at the end of which 

 time the particles of curd should be about the size of 

 kernels of wheat, and firm and hard, but still entirely 



