| Cheese is a solid food made from the | | | | reached its peak in the early industrial |
| milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other | | | | age and has declined somewhat since then |
| mammals. The milk is curdled using some | | | | due to mechanization and economic |
| combination of rennet (or rennet | | | | factors. |
| substitutes) and acidification. Bacteria | | | | Cheese has served as a hedge against |
| acidify the milk and play a role in | | | | famine and is a good travel food. It is |
| defining the texture and flavor of most | | | | valuable for its portability, long life, |
| cheeses. Some cheeses also feature | | | | and high content of fat, protein, |
| molds, either on the outer rind or | | | | calcium, and phosphorus. Cheese is |
| throughout. | | | | lighter-weight, more compact, and has a |
| There are hundreds of types of cheese | | | | longer shelf life than the milk from |
| produced all over the world. Different | | | | which it is made. Cheesemakers can place |
| styles and flavors of cheese are the | | | | themselves near the center of a dairy |
| result of using different species of | | | | region and benefit from fresher milk, |
| bacteria and molds, different levels of | | | | lower milk prices, and lower shipping |
| milk fat, variations in length of aging, | | | | costs. Cheese's substantial storage life |
| differing processing treatments | | | | lets a cheesemaker sell when prices are |
| (cheddaring, pulling, brining, mold | | | | high or when money is needed. |
| wash) and different breeds of cows, | | | | Origins |
| sheep, or other mammals. Other factors | | | | The exact origins of cheesemaking are |
| include animal diet and the addition of | | | | debated or unknown, and estimates range |
| flavoring agents such as herbs, spices, | | | | from around 8000 BCE (when sheep were |
| or wood smoke. Whether the milk is | | | | domesticated) to around 3000 BCE. Credit |
| pasteurized may also affect the flavor. | | | | for the discovery most likely goes to |
| The yellow to red coloring of many | | | | nomadic Turkic tribes in Central Asia, |
| cheeses is a result of adding annatto. | | | | around the same time that they developed |
| Cheeses are eaten both on their own and | | | | yogurt, or to people in the Middle East. |
| cooked into various dishes; most cheeses | | | | A common tale about the discovery of |
| melt when cooked. | | | | cheese tells of an Arab nomad carrying |
| For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled | | | | milk across the desert in a container |
| by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon | | | | made from an animal's stomach, only to |
| juice. Most cheeses, however, are | | | | discover the milk had been separated |
| acidified to a lesser degree by | | | | into curd and whey by the rennet from |
| bacteria, which turn milk sugars into | | | | the stomach. |
| lactic acid, followed by the addition of | | | | Folktales aside, cheese likely began as |
| rennet to complete the curdling. Rennet | | | | a way of preserving soured and curdled |
| is an enzyme mixture traditionally | | | | milk through pressing and salting, with |
| obtained from the stomach lining of | | | | rennet introduced later— perhaps when |
| young cattle, but now also laboratory | | | | someone noticed that cheese made in an |
| produced. Vegetarian alternatives to | | | | animal stomach produced more solid and |
| rennet are also available; most are | | | | better-textured curds. The earliest |
| produced by fermentation of the fungus | | | | archaeological evidence of cheesemaking |
| Mucor miehei, but substitute "vegetable | | | | has been found in Egyptian tomb murals, |
| rennets" have also been extracted from | | | | dating to about 2300 BCE. The earliest |
| various species of the Cynara thistle | | | | cheeses would likely have been quite |
| family. | | | | sour and salty, similar in texture to |
| The word cheese is derived, through | | | | rustic cottage cheese or feta. |
| Middle English chese and, from the Latin | | | | From the Middle East, basic cheesemaking |
| caseus. | | | | found its way into Europe, where cooler |
| Cheese is an ancient food whose origins | | | | climates meant less aggressive salting |
| may predate recorded history. Probably | | | | was needed for preservation. With |
| discovered in Central Asia or the Middle | | | | moderate salt and acidity, the cheese |
| East, cheesemaking spread to Europe and | | | | became a suitable environment for a |
| had become a sophisticated enterprise by | | | | variety of beneficial microbes and |
| Roman times. As Rome's influence | | | | molds, which are what give aged cheeses |
| receded, distinct local cheesemaking | | | | their pronounced and interesting |
| techniques emerged. This diversity | | | | flavors. |