Cheese market
Edam has a rich history as a port and trade centre for cheese. Cheese from the North Holland region has been sold as far away as the Southern Netherlands (roughly equivalent to modern-day Belgium, French Flanders and Luxembourg) for centuries. Today the BeemsterKaas dairy factory, located in this area, produces cheese of superior quality the same way as in days of old, like BeemsterKaas. This cheese with its relatively low salt content and full, creamy flavour is not just popular in the Netherlands, but in many other countries as well. The polder landscape surrounding the town, with its rich soil and salty sea wind, is ideal for keeping cattle. This is partly why this region has excelled in cheese-making for centuries.		  
   
Edam was granted the right to hold a free market in 1520 by the Hapsburg emperor Charles V. 50 years later, Prince William of Orange was to grant right of ‘Cheese weighing house’ in perpetuity. The present weighing house was built in 1778 and cheese markets were always held until 1922. However, the appearance of cheese factories signalled the end of the farm cheese markets.  

  Tradition lives on in the modern-day Edam cheese markets. The well-known round cheese sold at the cheese markets, was already known in the 15th century and was shipped out of Edam – hence its title of
Edam cheese.
 

  Here you can see how the cheese is transported to the market by boat or by horse-drawn cart, as it was in the olden days. At the market, the farmer has his cheese unloaded by special cheese carriers – in days gone by they were members of a special cheese bearers guild. The traders test the cheese by drilling holes in it and determine the quality and hence the price on the basis of this sample. If a batch goes down well with the trader, the cheese bearers carry it to the scales in the weighing house on a hand-barrow.
Transport by boat Cheese carriers   Cheese test

clapping hands
The bargaining now begins, accompanied by the old ritual of clapping hands. After the sale, the batch of cheese is finally loaded up again. The cheese markets where this all takes place are held under the watchful eye of a market inspector.
A professional explanation is given.
  

The Cheese Market can be found at the Jan van Nieuwenhuizen Square, the former cheese market of Edam.

Every year there are 8 morning markets and 1 beautiful enlighten evening market with a big flee market. The dates can be found in the Schedule page of this site.

The Edam Cheese Markets Foundation is a non-commercial and non-professional organisation with more then ninety volunteers.