Why is Edam cheese round?

Edam is traditionally made in round balls, which is an unusual shape for a cheese. In this video, I explore the history of why Edam is a round cheese.
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Sources
Argeloo, Marc. Hoe De Edammer De Wereld Veroverde: De Geschiedenis Van Een Rond Kaasje. Hoorn, Netherlands: Uniepers, 2011.
Dijkman, Jessica. Shaping Medieval Markets: The Organisation of Commodity Markets in Holland, C. 1200-C.1450. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2011.
Donnelly, Catherine, ed. The Oxford Companion to Cheese. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Kindstedt, Paul. Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilisation. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012.
Smit, H. J. "Het Kamper Pondtolregister Van 1439-1441, Medegedeeld Door Dr. H. J. Smit." In Economisch-Historisch Jaarboek: Bijdragen Tot Do Economische Geschiedenis Van Nederland, edited by Het Nederlansch Economisch-Historisch Archief, vol. 5, 209-296. The Hague: Martius Nijhoff, 1919.

Images
Naval battle by Pierre-Julien Gilbert (public domain)
Cannonballs (Pixabay)
Edam cheese (Pixabay)
Coastal landscape with sailing ships by Abraham Hulk Senior (public domain)
Coastal scene by Simon de Vlieger (public domain)
Ships Passing a Windmill by Abraham Storck (public domain)
“A Castle with a Ship Sailing Nearby” by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom (public domain)
De terugkomst in Amsterdam van de tweede expeditie naar Oost-Indië by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom (public domain)
Dutch East India Company Logo (public domain)
Dutch Ships sailing off a Rocky Shore by Andries van Eertvelt (public domain)

00:00 Introduction
00:53 Why is Edam cheese round?
02:12 When was Edam cheese being shipped overseas?
06:27 Why was Edam cheese good for shipping overseas?
10:28 Why is Edam cheese now made in blocks?
12:16 Outro

#edam #cheese #history #cheesehistory