"There are only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch." - Nigel Powers

In the May 2009 Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg addresses that most tragic of tragedies: lactose-intolerance. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200905/goldberg-advice

The irony, of course, being that there is no accompanying cheese for lactose intolerance. (And I don't want to hear one peep about soy cheese.)

So, instead, I'll just mention a cheese I tried this past weekend. It wasn't especially to my liking but, in the spirit of tolerance, I'd like to introduce you to Leyden. Like its cousin Edam, Leyden is made from partly skimmed cows milk. Leyden, however, is firmer and studded with cumin and caraway seeds, and occasionally cloves.

According to the fantastic website, cheeseofthemonthclub.com, it has mysterious origins: “No one seems to know how it came about. One popular theory is that an apprentice cheesemaker was munching on some cumin seeds, a very popular spice in Holland, and accidentally dropped a handful into the cheese vat. In fear of being fired, he didn’t tell the cheesemaker and when the cheese was tasted, they all loved it!”