Ewephoria

Ewephoria is a relatively new Gouda-style cheese from the Friesland region of Holland. Unlike standard Goudas, Ewephoria is made from sheep's milk and is pasteurized. It is, however, made using the same carefully-guarded starter cultures that give Goudas their distinctive flavor.

Ewephoria is aged 10 months, has a butterscotch color and a rather sweet, nutty, buttery flavor. Like all Goudas, it is hard and somewhat acidic. One reviewer claims, "Ewephoria is possibly as close as cheese gets to candy." That's going much too far. On the one hand, Ewephoria is not as sweet as many other traditional cheeses. In fact, even some Goudas--e.g., Saenkanter--are considerably sweeter. Then there are flavored cheeses like Chocolate Fudge Cheese, which although technically cheese, is really just a kind of candy.

Ewephoria was allegedly developed by Seattle-based cheese importer CheeseLand, Inc. specifically for the American cheese market, although the CheeseLand website does not mention the product. The idea was that aged Goudas were too harsh for American tastes and a softer, sweeter aged Gouda was needed.

Regardless of what the truth about Ewephoria's origins may be, it is a very enjoyable cheese to eat. I may bring it to my next dinner party. It is unique and more welcoming than other aged Goudas.