Our beloved cheese ....origin and history
Raise your hands if you like extra cheese in
your sandwiches or burgers? Even the thought of cheese is appetizingly Yumm..,
I know. Does the savory taste and laden aroma of cheese put you in a good mood
instantly?
If yes, then let me share a fun fact with
you. Cheese is not a direct product like fruits, vegetables, or milk. It was
discovered accidentally.
Now, before you read further, make sure you
are not empty stomach because it’s going to get cheesy in here!
We don’t know who the first person that made
cheese was but it was the Arabians who found and later traveled to Europe with
the art of cheese making.
When Was Cheese
Discovered?
Cheese dates back to 8000 BC when mankind
started domesticating sheep and goats. They extracted milk from these animals
for various purposes but there was no way to preserve it. With no refrigeration
or any other way to cool they used the bladder and stomach of these animals to
store and transport milk. The organs were leak-proof and contained a natural
enzyme called rennet.
In a tropical climate, rennet converted milk
naturally into milk curds. This milky curd was then strained and preserved with
salt. This final product was known as cheese. Thus, making cheese (milk curd)
was simply considered a way to preserve milk.
How Cheese Reached
Around The Globe?
Cheese production took place mostly in
Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia before it reached the rest part of
the world. Cheese making is still known as a form of art as it needs careful
handling. It was Jesse Williams who established the first cheese factory in
1851 in New York (USA). By the late 1800s, the cheese wholesale business
started. More than 3000 factories around the world were producing 216 million
pounds of cheese.
Cheese became regular food for both rich and
poor when it entered Rome. The Roman experimented with cheese making by using
different enzymes instead of rennet, bacteria, and lower temperature to find
new varieties. Romans used less salt and preservatives, which brought many
cheese aromas into the picture. The aroma of cheese is one popular fragrance
that most people are drawn to.
Uncover Fun Facts
About Cheese Before You Go!
Fact 1: Mice prefers sweets & carbs over
cheese
Yes, we all have watched Tom & Jerry,
popular kids show where Jerry (Mice) loves eating cheese but it's not true in
real life.
Fact 2: Cheese caves are not a part of
storybooks but very much real
Most cheese is kept in caves due to its cool
and humid environment. It helps in getting more flavors and ages them.
Fact 3: Cow needs a healthy diet to produce
good milk for cheese
The delicious flavor of the cheese is
directly dependent on the good diet of cows.
So, I hope next time you see any
cheese-filled food like pizza, pasta, or cheesecakes you will always remember
the fun facts and how cheese came into existence.
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