The Cheese ritual: Inside the 660-year-old Dutch market where men in white race with giant cheese wheels | World News

On summer Fridays in the Dutch city of Alkmaar, the air fills with the smell of aged dairy and the rhythmic shuffle of wooden stretchers across the stone square. At precisely 10 a.m., a bell rings over the historic Waagplein and the spectacle begins. Dozens of men dressed in spotless white uniforms and straw hats break into a swift, synchronised trot, balancing heavy stretchers stacked with bright yellow wheels of cheese. It appears theatrical, almost surreal. Yet what unfolds each week is not a show created for tourists but the continuation of a trading ritual that has survived for centuries.For Alkmaar, cheese is more than food. It is identity and history. The city’s connection to the dairy trade dates back to 1365, when Alkmaar first received the right to weigh cheese in the town. Over time, farmers, merchants and guild members turned the weekly market into one of the Netherlands’ most recognisable traditions. Every Friday from April to September the market recreates the old rituals of bargaining, weighing and transporting cheese that shaped the city for more than six centuries.

A medieval cheese market born from trade

Long before it became a famous cultural attraction, the Alkmaar cheese market was an essential centre of commerce. Farmers from surrounding villages brought their cheeses into the city to sell to traders who exported Dutch dairy across Europe. The presence of an official weighing scale in 1365 allowed merchants to conduct business under the supervision of the city authorities, ensuring that all transactions were fair.By the early seventeenth century the cheese trade had grown so large that Alkmaar operated several weighing scales. The square known as Waagplein became the focal point of this bustling market. During the Dutch Golden Age, thousands of cheese wheels passed through Alkmaar every year as the Netherlands emerged as one of Europe’s leading trading nations. Cheese produced in the region was transported by merchants and ships to markets across the continent.Today the market recreates these centuries-old practices. What visitors see on Friday mornings is a carefully preserved reflection of how the trade once worked.

The guild of cheese carriers

At the centre of the ritual stands the historic Cheese Carriers’ Guild, known locally as the Kaasdragersgilde. Founded in 1593, the guild is responsible for transporting the cheese during the market. Membership is limited and the organisation still follows a strict hierarchy that reflects its long history.The carriers wear white uniforms with straw hats decorated with coloured ribbons. The ribbons represent the four traditional teams, each identified by its own colour. Every team has its own foreman and works together to move the heavy loads across the square.Overseeing the entire operation is the ceremonial head of the guild, often called the Cheese Father. Before the market begins each Friday he calls the carriers together, confirms attendance and announces the start of the trading day. Only after this ritual does the bell ring and the market officially begin.The guild also enforces old traditions of discipline. Carriers who arrive late or fail to maintain their uniforms properly may be fined. These rules help preserve the historic character of the event.

The famous cheese carriers’ run

The most striking moment of the market is the movement of the carriers themselves. Working in pairs, they lift wooden stretchers loaded with stacks of cheese wheels. Each stretcher can hold eight large cheeses and the total weight can reach around 160 kilograms.To transport the load, the carriers move in a fast, rhythmic trot across the square. This distinctive movement allows them to keep the stretchers balanced while navigating the busy marketplace. The motion is both practical and ceremonial. It ensures the cheese remains stable while also creating the spectacle that attracts visitors from around the world.Watching the carriers move in perfect coordination gives the impression that time has briefly reversed and that the square has returned to the rhythm of centuries past.

The strange art of hand-clap bargaining

Before any cheese is transported across the square it must first be sold. The traditional bargaining ritual used in Alkmaar is known as handjeklap, which translates roughly as hand clapping.During negotiations buyers and sellers clap their hands together repeatedly while calling out prices. Each clap represents a new offer or counteroffer. The rhythm continues until both parties agree on a price, and the final clap seals the deal.This lively negotiation method once determined the value of huge quantities of cheese each market day. Although today the trading is largely symbolic, the ritual is still performed to preserve the spirit of the historic market.

The weighing house and the guardians of fairness

Once a sale has been agreed, the cheese carriers transport the wheels to the historic weighing house known simply as the Waag. This building dominates Waagplein and served for centuries as the official place where cheese was weighed and recorded.Inside the building the weighing master supervises the process to ensure the correct weight is registered. In earlier centuries this step was essential because merchants paid for cheese based on weight. Accuracy and honesty were therefore vital to maintaining trust in the market.Specialist cheese inspectors also played an important role. Using metal tools they would extract small samples from the cheese to examine its quality, texture and flavour before confirming that it met trading standards.

The cheeses that built a nation

The cheeses featured at the market are classic Dutch varieties such as Gouda and Edam. These cheeses became global symbols of Dutch food culture and helped build the country’s reputation as a centre of dairy production.For centuries Dutch farmers perfected techniques for ageing and preserving cheese, allowing it to be transported over long distances without spoiling. During the height of the Netherlands’ trading power, cheese from Dutch towns travelled across Europe and to overseas markets.Even today cheese remains deeply embedded in the Dutch diet and culture. The country produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of cheese every year and exports it around the world.

A tradition that survived centuries

Like many historical traditions, the Alkmaar cheese market has faced interruptions. During the Second World War the market was temporarily suspended because of wartime conditions and food shortages. After the war it resumed, restoring a tradition that had defined the city for generations.In modern times the market has evolved into a cultural event rather than a purely commercial one. Large crowds gather in the square each week to watch the carriers, the bargaining rituals and the ceremonial weighing process.The city itself has grown into a vibrant community of more than one hundred thousand residents, yet the market remains a symbol of its historical roots.

More than a market

Today the Alkmaar cheese market functions as a living reminder of the Netherlands’ trading past. The uniforms, the hand-clapping negotiations, the carriers’ trot and the ringing bell that begins the market each Friday morning all preserve a tradition that has endured for more than six hundred years.For visitors, the event offers more than a chance to buy cheese. It offers a glimpse into a time when markets were the heart of European cities and when a simple wheel of cheese could represent the prosperity of an entire region.And every Friday morning, when the bell rings over Waagplein and the carriers begin their run across the square, Alkmaar briefly returns to the rhythm of the Middle Ages.