The transformation of milk into a more stable, concentrated food by separating curds from whey, typically with rennet or an acid, then salting, pressing, aging or otherwise finishing the curd. Perforated pottery vessels roughly 7,000 years old, recovered in Kuyavia, Poland, and shown by lipid residue analysis to have strained dairy fat, provide the earliest direct evidence of cheesemaking, with comparable evidence of Mediterranean cheese production found dating to around 7,200 years ago. The technique subsequently diversified into thousands of regional cheeses, from the fresh mozzarella that tops Italian pizza to the aged wheels of French and other European traditions.
Facts
Origin Period, From (Year) Origin RegionThe Kuyavia region of Poland, where perforated pottery sieves used to strain curds from whey carry milk fat residues, the earliest direct archaeological evidence of cheesemaking; cheese production is also depicted in Sumerian temple reliefs by the fourth millennium BCE. 1 Cheesemaking
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Expressed By
Source Bhutanese Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source British Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Dutch Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Ema datshi (Wikipedia)
Source French cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Khachapuri (Wikipedia)
Source Ostkaka (Wikipedia)
Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Source Romanian Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Slovak Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Swiss Cuisine (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the KitchenHarold McGeetier 1
Sources
1. Earliest Evidence for Cheese Making in the Sixth Millennium BC in Northern Europe (Nature)
NatureAbstractQuote, Abstract
Here we apply the same approach to investigate the function of sieves/strainer vessels, providing direct chemical evidence for their use in milk processing.
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Harold McGee, Scribner, 2004technique discussion: cheese and fermented dairy
The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014Expressed By: Pizza Margherita, s.v. Mozzarella
Khachapuri (Wikipedia)
WikipediaExpressed By: Khachapuri, section: Imeretian khachapuriQuote, Expressed By: Khachapuri, section: Imeretian khachapuri
The most popular form, made with a yeast dough filled with white Imeretian salted cheese.
Dutch Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: Dutch Cuisine, Wikipedia article textQuote, Expressed By: Dutch Cuisine, Wikipedia article text
Dutch butter and cheese continued to be famous products for centuries.
Swiss Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: Swiss Cuisine, Wikipedia article textQuote, Expressed By: Swiss Cuisine, Wikipedia article text
Switzerland is particularly renowned for its wide variety of cheeses and cured meats, which reflect the country’s regional traditions.
French cuisine (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: French Cuisine, Article textQuote, Expressed By: French Cuisine, Article text
Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine.
British Cuisine (Wikipedia)
WikipediaExpressed By: British Cuisine, Article textQuote, Expressed By: British Cuisine, Article text
British cuisine also includes a large variety of cheeses, beers, and ciders.
Romanian Cuisine (Wikipedia)
WikipediaExpressed By: Romanian Cuisine, Article textQuote, Expressed By: Romanian Cuisine, Article text
Cheese has been a part of Romanian cuisine since the beginning of its history.
Ema datshi (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: Ema datshi, Lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Ema datshi, Lead paragraph
The cheese used in ema datshi is called datshi; it is usually made at home from the curd of cow's or yak's milk.
Ostkaka (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: Ostkaka, Lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Ostkaka, Lead paragraph
Ostkaka is traditionally made with raw milk and cheese rennet.
Slovak Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: Slovak Cuisine, Lead paragraphQuote, Expressed By: Slovak Cuisine, Lead paragraph
Milk was processed into a wide range of products such as butter, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, and various types of cheese etc.
Bhutanese Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Expressed By: Bhutanese Cuisine, Article textQuote, Expressed By: Bhutanese Cuisine, Article text
Dairy foods, particularly butter and cheese from yaks and cows, are also popular, and most milk is turned into butter and cheese.
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