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Cheese is
a solid food made from the curdled milk
of cows, goats, sheep, or other mammals.
The milk is curdled using some
combination of rennet (or rennet
substitutes) and acidification.
History
Cheese is an ancient food whose origins
may predate recorded history. Probably
discovered in Central Asia or the Middle
East, cheese making spread to Europe and
had become a sophisticated enterprise by
Roman times. As Rome's influence
receded, distinct local cheese making
techniques emerged. This diversity
reached its peak in the early industrial
age and has declined somewhat since then
due to mechanization and economic
factors.
Cheese has served as a hedge against
famine and a good travel food. It is
valuable for its portability, long life,
and high content of fat, protein,
calcium, and phosphorus. Cheese is
lighter-weight, more compact, and has a
longer shelf life than the milk from
which it is made. Cheese makers can
place themselves near the center of a
dairy region and benefit from fresher
milk, lower milk prices, and lower
shipping costs. Cheese's substantial
storage life lets a cheese maker sell
when prices are high or money is needed.
Origins
The exact origins of cheese making are
unknown, and estimates range from around
8000 BCE (when sheep were domesticated)
to around 3000 BCE. Credit for the
discovery most likely goes to nomadic
Turkic tribes in Central Asia, around
the same time that they developed
yogurt, or to people in the Middle East.
A common tale about the discovery of
cheese tells of an Arab nomad carrying
milk across the desert in a container
made from an animal's stomach, only to
discover the milk had been separated
into curd and whey by the rennet from
the stomach.
Folktales aside, cheese likely began as
a way of preserving soured and curdled
milk through pressing and salting, with
rennet introduced later— perhaps when
someone noticed that cheese made in an
animal stomach produced more solid and
better-textured curds. The earliest
archaeological evidence of cheesemaking
has been found in Egyptian tomb murals,
dating to about 2300 BCE. The earliest
cheeses would likely have been quite
sour and salty, similar in texture to
rustic cottage cheese or feta.
From the Middle East, basic cheese
making found its way into Europe, where
cooler climates meant less aggressive
salting was needed for preservation.
With moderate salt and acidity, the
cheese became a suitable environment for
a variety of beneficial microbes and
molds, which are what give aged cheeses
their pronounced and interesting
flavors. |
