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What prehistoric genius first discovered how to transform milk into delicious cheese? We may never find out, but we now know that humans were purposefully making cheese as early as 7,500 years ago. The finding is in the journal Nature. [Mélanie Salque et al., Earliest evidence for cheese making in the sixth millennium B.C. in northern Europe]
To make cheese, you first force milk to coagulate into curds. Then you strain off the liquid, called whey.
Modern cheese strainers bear a strong resemblance to the remains of 34 clay vessels recovered from Polish archaeological sites. But researchers did not know if the vessels might have also have served other purposes. The new study analyzed the residues on these unglazed pottery shards and found the remains of milk fat. Which proves that these containers were part of the cheese-making process more than 7,000 years ago.
Cheese was more than a tasty treat. These prehistoric humans were likely lactose intolerant, and had trouble digesting unprocessed milk. By straining out the lactose-rich whey and transforming the milk solids into cheese, dairy farmers gained nutrition from cows without slaughtering their food source. And finally discovered what to put on crackers.
—Sophie Bushwick
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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3 Comments
Add CommentThere is one hypothesis that claims that people stomped the milk, like grapes, to churn it and get it to coagulate. The bacteria from their feet then grew on the cheese causing it to ferment. That is why feet smell like cheese or more correctly, cheese smells like feet.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat would have been the point of saying "cheese" 7,500 years ago when there were no cameras around at that time ? Your headline is misleading in this regard. The word cheese was more likely used in conjunction with "it" as in "cheese it" which is slang for "getting away fast".In those times escaping from predators with very large teeth and long horns probably led to the first use of the word cheese.The food connection most likely came later when cheese and bacon sandwiches were introduced for a quick snack whilst on the run.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@RSchmidt where did you get this information? It doesn't make any sense. The milk coagulates because of lactic acid bacteria (rennet came much later). Stomping on it won't do anything to it. Coagulation is also a very gentle process, so if you meant to say that they were stomping on curd to expell whey and make a solid cheese -that would make sense. But if the milk is already curdled, than the bacterial action has taken place already. The smelly feel situation you are describing comes from Corynebacterium, Geotrichum, yeasts and micrococci that can be found in nature or on our skin but in cheese these species make up the rind during aging. They do not contribute anything to coagulation or acidification of milk. The "stinky feet" effect is something that came about probably more around 1,000 years ago when monks began washing cheeses with brines and ales, an action that develops this type of bacterium on the rind and also develops a distinct orange color on the rind (and these are elastic or gooey thanks to rennet). 7,500 years ago cheese was not made with rennet yet and it was merely brittle chunks of lactic-acidified milk that was pressed and dried out.
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