The leftovers from the cheese board: which rinds can you eat and which should you leave alone?

After an hour of drinks and snacks, the cheese board is empty, but not quite. Why don’t we actually eat those cheese rinds? Are they edible? Or are there cheese edges you’re better off leaving alone?

In general, the rind of soft cheeses is perfectly edible. Brie? Camembert? The flavour of the rinds is slightly stronger than that of the cheese itself. Enthusiasts say that the flavour of the rind and the cheese complement each other. It may take a little getting used to?

Washed with alcohol

Washed-rind cheeses, such as époisses and reblochon, are brushed and washed with alcohol (or salt water) to remove the mould and make the rind firmer. The flavour is also much stronger. Sometimes the outside of the cheese feels a little grainy in your mouth. Perfectly edible, but not everyone may like it, as it can taste quite salty.

White fuzz

Blue cheeses (Roquefort, gorgonzola) also have an edible rind, as do goat cheeses with a soft white fuzz, such as that delicious crottin. By the way, did you know that this exterior isn’t mould, but yeast?

Healthy ash

Some cheeses are rolled in ash, have a layer of ash (morbier), or an exterior made of black ash. It doesn’t sound very appealing, but it is certainly edible. In fact, it’s even healthy! It is said to help remove toxins from your body—and with intestinal problems, just think of Norit.

Plastic coating

The rinds of hard cheese are usually not edible. Take the bright orange rind of young-matured supermarket cheese, for example: just leave it alone, as it is one hundred per cent synthetic. Something has also been added to prevent mould from growing on the rind. If you eat it anyway, nothing serious will probably happen, but your body cannot digest it, so it will come out more or less unchanged. Port Salut also has a plastic exterior, so you’re better off cutting that little flap away.

In the soup

Exception: Parmesan cheese rind is perfectly good to eat. You may find it too hard to cut into pieces, but in that case you might as well grate it. Another tip: throw those hard pieces of Parmesan into a stew and let them simmer along, or add them to the stock you’re making. The umami of the Parmesan enhances the other flavours, so your soup or stew gets a serious flavour boost.

Amsterdam Cheese Festival

Want to learn more about cheese—and, above all, taste a whole lot of it? Then come to the first Amsterdam Cheese Festival! The Amsterdam Cheese Festival takes place on Sunday 24 October and Monday 25 October 2021. Here you can eat unlimited cheese from all over the world, in an amazing location to boot. So make sure to mark this date in bold in your calendar!

Read also:

• The best European destinations for cheese lovers
• Cheese according to your zodiac sign
• How long can you really keep cheese?