Gouda, or “How-da” as the locals say, is a Dutch cheese named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands. If truth be told, it is one of the most popular cheeses in the world, accounting for 50 to 60 percent of the world’s cheese consumption. Smoked Gouda is a variant of this famous cheese wherein it is smoked in ancient brick ovens over flaming hickory chip embers. Sensational with beer, this hard cheese has an edible, brown rind and a creamy, yellow interior. It can also perfectly complement tasty snacks like fruits, nuts and dark chocolate. It forms a good combination of sandwiches and burgers.

Swiss cheese is a generic name for several related varieties of cheese. It is an American version of the Swiss Emmental and is known for being shiny, pale yellow. While it has a firmer texture than baby Swiss, its flavour is mild, sweet and nut-like. It has a savoury, but not very sharp taste. Some types of Swiss cheese have a distinctive appearance. Some cheeses have holes known as ‘eyes’ while some do not. Swiss cheese without eyes is known as ‘blind’. But in general, the larger the eyes in a Swiss cheese, the more pronounced its flavour. The process of Swiss cheese making is designed in a way that no rind forms on the cheese. It can be eaten with fruits such as apples, pears, grapes and thinly-sliced prosciutto ham and salami. Fruity white wine, aged red wine, cran-raspberry juice, tomato or vegetable juices also prove to be great pairs for Swiss cheese.