Texel is the largest island of the Dutch Wadden Islands and belongs to the province of North Holland. In addition, Texel is a municipality, which also includes the uninhabited island of Noorderhaaks. The name of the island can already be found in the historical Texla province. The average length of Texel is 20 km and the average width is 8 km.

Eierland

The current island of Texel actually consists of two islands: the southern Texel and the northern Eierland. In 1630 the Zanddijk was completed which connected both Wadden Islands. In 1835, Nicolas Joseph de Cock from Antwerp, together with a few other gentlemen, founded an NV that would plow the salt marsh between Eierland and Texel for agricultural use. The landscape on Texel is rich and diverse. In addition to polders, wide sandy beaches, dunes and grasslands, Texel also has heathland, woods and salt marshes.

Texel sheep cheese

In the 16th century and in the 17th century the Texel sheep cheese was already known (world) due to its special flavor. Besides the normal white cheese, a special green cheese was also made. This cheese was colored green by a process in which sheepskin were cooked in a muslin cloth, and then the green juice of it was poured into the milk. The cheese was then made from it, which was given a spicy taste by the manure juice and, moreover, had a better shelf life. This special ingredient in combination with the Texel grass where the sheep graze and the traditional preparation, made it a special cheese. For reasons of hygiene, the cheese was banned in the 1930s by the Dutch Inspection Department of Waren.