Cheese exchange. Almost medieval
Dedicated to all cheese lovers!
About 60 km from Amsterdam there is the town of Alkmaar, not much different from other beautiful towns in Holland. But this is only at first glance.
It is here that on Fridays in the summer hundreds of tourists come, sail, come to look at the fascinating action, which, as the guidebooks promise, has hardly changed its scenario for many years. This is a cheese market. Today, in addition to the directly "cheese trades" in front of the Chamber of Weights and Measures, there is a full-fledged market or a cheese fair. Other goods made by craftsmen and artisans of the area are also presented. There are many interesting little things that you can buy as a souvenir to take home.
The Cheese Exchange is open on Fridays 22 times a year (April-September), from 10-00 (until about 12-13), later there is not much action, just trading, like in a regular market.
This square has been expanded numerous times throughout its history, over the course of just two centuries it was expanded at least eight times before it reached its current size, which may indicate the importance of the cheese trade for the city. So, in 1593, Prince William of Orange grants the city of Alkmaar the right to build a new building for the city scales (now the City Chamber of Scales), which at that time were considered one of the main attributes of a self-respecting city. It is known that the first scales for cheese in Alkmaar appeared in 1365, and by 1612 their number had grown to four. And since 1622, cheese fairs have been held on the Waagplein square in front of the building in the city, where only farm cheeses are sold.
The most important, numerous and bright bidders are cheese peddlers. These are not ordinary guys, everything is quite organized and strict with them, and most importantly, they are representatives of the only surviving Cheese Porters Guild in the world. The Guild of Cheese Porters was first mentioned in documents in 1619. The porters are responsible for transporting and weighing the cheese during the auction. The guild consists of 4 groups of 7 people each. Each group has its own color: red, yellow, green or blue. Each group has its own hierarchy with specific responsibilities for each. For example, the oldest member of the group (recognizable by his black leather bag) is responsible for balancing the scales before weighing the cheese.
According to tradition, this action opens the city's measures. The opening of the market, which is announced by the ringing of bells, is preceded by a long preparation. Early in the morning, trucks full of cheese bring the goods to the square, where they are laid out in long rows by porters. By 9.30 all the cheese should be laid out. Porters are divided into several groups, each of which works in its own part of the market. As a rule, the bell announcing the beginning of the market is rung by some well-known cultural or sports figure, or a foreign envoy present in the city.
With the opening of the market, inspectors begin their work, who not only examine the appearance of the cheese, but also knock on the flattened yellow cheese heads, rub the cheese between their fingers and sniff, and, of course, taste it, taking out a piece with a special spoon. The price of the cheese is determined by bargaining between the buyer and the seller, and when the deal is made, they strike hands. The cheese is placed on a special stretcher, which the porters carry to the weighing room. There, other members of the guild are already weighing the goods, and a special official is monitoring the accuracy and honesty of the weighing of the goods. The buyer pays the money to the “weigher”, who puts a payment mark on the stretcher, and the porters carry the cheese to the buyer’s car. The cheese is carried by two porters on special wooden stretchers. Sometimes the burden can reach 100-130 kg, since, for example, one head of Gouda cheese weighs an average of about 13.5 kg. For convenience, the porters walk in a special rhythmic step.
In Alkmer, residential buildings of the 16th-18th centuries have been preserved. The city has attractions: the late Gothic church of St. Lawrence (1470-1512), city hall (1509-1520), the building of the City Chamber of Scales with white stone decor. There is a cheese museum, as Alkmaar is one of the main cheese-making centers in the country.
