Take Cheese And Release the Unleash

By Vikas Mehra April 01, 2021

The existence of cheese tantamounts to the existence of mankind and animals. The oldest excavations prove cheese to be present around 5500 BC, some people mark the cheese to come in the rat race when our forefathers domesticated the sheep and the goats during the ancient days. Egyptian tomb walls were paved with the primordial existence of cheese, some four thousand years ago. The ancient testimonies uphold the fact that the existence of cheese was completely accidental. The bloated internal organs and take skins of animals were used as storage capacity by the traditional people during that time. The fact of milk being stored and coming in contact with rennet leading to quick transformation in curd was still known.

The creation of cheese took its root in Egypt and the Middle East, further spreading to North, Greece, and Rome. The making in these areas latched on to a very salty and strong taste of cheese, embracing the similar taste of feta and cottage cheese in the modern world. The developmental process of cheese not only consisted of milk in close contact with rennet but also included experimentation with various acidic substitutes and a variety of bacteria to lay the foundation of medium and hard cheeses. The presence of natural preservatives due to the high average temperature also evolved the existence of cheese.

During the Roman regime, the class of haves and haves not termed cheese to be a luxurious consumable product leading to its sumptuous intake. The ancient method of making cheese in Rome became popular all over the world. However,  the fall of the Roman Empire, led to the disintegration of all the trade routes in Europe making easy procurement of cheese through local productions. With time, France, Italy, and England tripled on to the diversified production of cheese is home to 400 to 700 types of cheese.

Asian culture, excluding India, was the last of all to know of such a product. With the rapid advancement in the naval industry, the import and export of cheese became easier as ever. The first cheese factory took its shape in Switzerland in the year 1815. Sadly, it didn't gain much importance till the time Jesse Williams, a dairy farmer, established another cheese factory in the USA, in the year 1851. People were explicitly trained to get the hang of the concept of cheese production by experimenting with old recipes.

It is rightly said, “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” (Charles de Gaulle). Undermining the stated fact, the world comprises more than 1800 different types of cheese. The existence of some of the varieties is still unknown to the mass. Enlisting a few of them can help us grow fond of cheese. Talking about Roquefort, it is a kind of blue cheese that emanates from a village of France with the name of Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon. The acquisition of such a name has a history of cheese being ripened in the natural caves of Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon.  Camembert, emanated from France, mainly Normandy, has a short aging period and is made from cow’s milk. This particular cheese holds a strong mushroomy scent and is easily edible. The origin of Cotija belongs to Mexico, with an aging period of around 3 months, having a dry texture with a tangy flavor usually put in tacos or salads.

It is often said, “Cheese, wine, and friends must be old to be good.” With respect to the fact, cheddar has a long aging period and emanates from England. It is made with cow’s milk, however, the traditional way of making cheddar makes it dry and powdery in nature. Cheddar incorporated a deep yellow color depending upon the feed of the cattle and the season it is made in.  Emmental, also known as Swiss cheese, emanated from Switzerland and is made by rearing cow’s milk. Mozzarella cheese stems from Italy and is made from the milk of cow or water buffalo. No aging factor evolves in this kind of cheese and holds a USP for its texture and creamy flavor.

Gouda originated from the Netherlands, made from cow’s milk. It has a short and long aging period. Gouda cheese during its infancy can be melted easily and the aged gouda cheese can be used for grating purposes. Manchego is a kind of cheese that originated from Spain and is made with sheep milk. It holds a long aging period and is made from the milk of Manchega sheep. The infantile cheese incorporates a creamy and buttery texture while the aged cheese withholds crunchy crystals with a salty flavor. Last but not the least, Parmigiano-Reggiano shortly named as “parmesan” is a kind of cheese that emanated from Italy and is made from cow’s milk. Having an aging period of at least a year, it is a nutty flavored, crumbled cheese used for grating purposes and adds flavor to the Italian soups. This kind of cheese should not be confused with the actual Parmigiano-Reggiano, as this cheese holds the specificity of being produced in Emilia- Romagna, and Lombardia in Italy.

“Life is great, cheese makes it better.” ( Avery Aemes). This dairy product holds great importance in our lives. Many people across the world do an expedition to experience various kinds of cheese in the world. Cheese lovers or cheesemongers holding a great experience in having the knowledge about cheese often earn money by providing numerous facts about the existence of cheese. Another fact that one must know of is to guess the most expensive kind of cheese in the world. Pule, a kind of cheese that came into existence by amalgamating 60% of the donkey milk and 40% of the goat milk. This dairy product is not easily procurable and is expensive due to its rarity holding a prized possession of 1,000 Euros, per kg.

The world consists of a variety of cheese thus incorporates a certain type of cheese that cannot be tasted by a common man due to its expensive nature.  Talking about white stilton gold, after pule cheese, it is considered to be an expensive one inculcating a fruity flavor. Wike farms cheddar holds traditional importance and is usually consumed with wine and beers. Extra old Bitto, cheese that holds one of the longest aging factors and came into existence for the first time in China. Old ford, a famous cheese made by hand and is procured from England. Horse cheese made from an Italian breed of cow, Podolica, which is rarely found and thus makes it an expensive one. Jersey Blue, Rogue River blue, Winnimere, Lord of the Hundreds etcetera are various kinds of cheese whose intake is an expensive affair.

The preparation of cheese from the grass-fed animal and supreme purity of milk withholds maximum nutrients in it. Talking about cottage cheese, it holds the potential of allowing the skin to glow by incorporating an essential mineral, selenium. However, intake of a good amount of cottage cheese helps the skin of the youth to glow. Everything in this world has its benefits and afflictions, per contra, if we talk about cheese, it has its own pros and cons but the pros are indeed more than cons. Intake of cheese prevents the disease of osteoporosis, also it is recommended to human beings having deficiency of calcium in their body. The best role of cheese is that it helps the body to gain weight in a very balanced manner. Building of muscles, preventing cancer, and reversal of hypertension by lowering blood pressure makes it useful in our daily life.  “An Aristocracy is like cheese, the older it is the higher it becomes.” (David Lloyd George). Summing up the above-stated facts, the advancement in technology and the process of experimentation with different kinds of cheese makes its existence in abundance.

 



Reference Links

  1. www.historyofcheese.com. (n.d.). History of Cheese - Cheese Making History. [online] Available at: http://www.historyofcheese.com/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2021].
  2. Serious Eats (2015). Serious Eats: The Destination for Delicious. [online] Seriouseats.com. Available at: https://www.seriouseats.com/.
  3. Anon, (n.d.). Welcome to Lively Run Dairy. [online] Available at: https://livelyrun.com/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2021].
  4. Spoonuniversity.com. (2012). Spoon University | The food resource for our generation. [online] Available at: https://spoonuniversity.com/
  5. Goodreads. (2018). Goodreads. [online] Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/.

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