When I've lived in Germany, and there was no cheddar, I had to do with gouda as a mild, hard cheese, which I almost always found to be too waxy or tasteless. I soon moved on to better and more expensive cheeses, but this cheese still deserves a good description. It comes from a town named Gouda just outside of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It has a hard rind, and as I said, the taste is mild, although it can also be purchased in a more-aged, harder version with a stronger taste. Source: http://www.wgx.com/cheesenet/wci/right.html