A brie(f) history of cheese - Paul Kindstedt

Summary

Cheese, one of humanity's oldest foods, originated around 8000 BCE with Neolithic farmers in the Fertile Crescent. It offered a survival advantage by providing essential nutrients with less lactose and could be preserved. The art of cheesemaking evolved with the discovery of rennet, leading to a variety of cheeses worldwide. From ancient Mesopotamia to medieval Europe, cheese played a significant role in culinary and religious life. Today, it's a global industry, yet local farms continue the ancient tradition of crafting this beloved dairy product.

Takeaways

• 🧀 Cheese is one of the oldest human-made foods, dating back to 8000 BCE.
• 🐏 The rise of agriculture led to the domestication of animals like sheep and goats, providing a source of milk for cheese production.
• 🥛 Fresh milk would naturally sour, leading to the discovery of cheese when ancient farmers noticed coagulated curds.
• 🌍 Cheese provided a survival advantage by offering a preserved food source rich in proteins, fats, and minerals with less lactose.
• 🏺 Pottery fragments from 7th millennium BCE in Turkey show evidence of early cheese and butter containers.
• 📜 The earliest known writings include records of cheese quotas and varieties used in Mesopotamia for rituals and daily life.
• 🐄 The use of rennet, an animal byproduct, revolutionized cheesemaking by controlling the coagulation process.
• 🌐 Cheesemaking techniques spread globally, leading to the development of a wide range of cheeses with local flavors.
• 🏰 During Roman rule, cheese was a crucial part of soldiers' rations, supporting the vast empire.
• 🏰 Medieval monks in Benedictine monasteries played a significant role in refining cheese varieties such as Parmesan and Roquefort.
• 🗼 The profitability of Swiss cheese led to territorial disputes, highlighting the economic importance of the cheese trade.

Q & A

When did the earliest cheesemaking begin?

The earliest cheesemaking began as early as 8000 BCE by Neolithic farmers living in the Fertile Crescent.

What was the significance of cheesemaking for Neolithic people?

Cheesemaking provided Neolithic people with an enormous survival advantage by offering essential nutrients with much less lactose and the ability to preserve and stockpile milk.

How did ancient farmers discover cheese?

Ancient farmers discovered cheese when they noticed that fresh milk would sour in warm conditions, causing proteins to coagulate into soft clumps that could be eaten fresh.

What was the role of cheese in the Bronze Age?

By the end of the Bronze Age, cheese was a standard commodity in maritime trade throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

How did cheese become a staple in Mesopotamia?

In Mesopotamia, cheese became a staple of culinary and religious life, with administrative records of cheese quotas for different rituals and populations.

What is rennet and how did it influence cheesemaking?

Rennet is an animal byproduct produced in the stomachs of certain mammals that can accelerate and control coagulation, leading to the production of a wide variety of new, harder cheeses.

How did cheesemaking practices evolve in different cultures?

Different cultures embraced cheese and added their own local flavors, such as the hard, sundried Byaslag by Mongolians, cottage cheese by Egyptians, and paneer in South Asia.

What was the importance of cheese in the Roman Empire?

Under Roman rule, 'dry cheese' or 'caseus aridus' became an essential ration for the nearly 500,000 soldiers guarding the vast borders of the Roman Empire.

How did cheesemaking practices change during the medieval period?

In the medieval period, cheesemaking continued to evolve in manors and Benedictine monasteries, where monks experimented with different types of milk and aging processes, leading to many of today's popular cheeses.

What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on cheese production?

The Industrial Revolution took cheese production out of the monastery and into machinery, leading to mass production and global distribution.

How much cheese is produced worldwide today?

Today, the world produces roughly 22 billion kilograms of cheese a year, which is shipped and consumed around the globe.