History of cheeses. Who Invented Cheese? Varieties and traditions of Dutch cheese

It is impossible to say exactly where and when cheese appeared. But it is known for sure that this wonderful product has come down to us from primitive times.

Most likely his discovered by observing milk, which curled up in the heat. Archaeologists suggest that people knew how to make cheese already in the Neolithic (about 5000 BC). This means that the history of cheese has more than 7000 years.

Many researchers believe that Cheese originated in the Middle East: The Bedouins used leather pouches made from sheep's stomachs to transport milk, and shaking, heat and enzymes turned it into cheese.

However, cheese has been known in Europe since ancient times.
So, in Homer's poem "The Odyssey" it is told how Odysseus and his companions, having got into the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, found many cheeses in baskets, and curdled milk in buckets and bowls. There we also find a description of the preparation of cheese: “Polyphemus milked goats and sheep, as is customary for everyone.
White took half of the milk, instantly fermented,
immediately squeezed it out and put it in tightly woven baskets ... ". So the ancient Greeks knew about cheese making no less than we do. This is evidenced by the treatise of Aristotle (384-322 BC), which describes the processes of coagulation of milk and the technique of making cheese.

It is also known that in the Roman Empire, cheese was an integral part of the feasts of the patricians. Cheese was so valued that during a campaign in Gaul, Caesar's troops were enriched not only with jewelry, but also with cheese, which was then sold at exorbitant prices in Rome, because the cheese could endure a long journey and at the same time save its miraculous properties. But especially famous at that time Greek cheese from Demos Island exported in the 1st century AD to Rome. Later, the Romans had their own varieties, for example, lunar. It was so tasty that the Roman, describing the lady of the heart, compared her with the taste of this cheese. It is known that the philosopher of antiquity Zarathustra, having retired to the desert for quiet studies of philosophy, ate practically one cheese for 20 years. According to legend, one head of cheese was enough for him for all the years of hermitage.
The heyday of cheese making fell on the Middle Ages, when this amazing product monks noticed. It is thanks to them that the species diversity of cheeses has increased tremendously. They came up with cheese to salt, smoke, flavor with spices and plant on it noble mold. It is difficult to say what inspired the servants of the Lord to make cheese: perhaps they had nothing to do while waiting for the wine to ripen, or maybe they were looking for a product that would be best combined with wine, but, one way or another, it is the monks who have the honor of creating most known varieties of cheese. Moreover, it is generally accepted that it was from the Middle Ages that the words "cheese" and "wine" became inseparable. However, there is no consensus here. Some experts argue that wine and cheese are generally incompatible, as cheese simply clogs the taste of wine.

During the Renaissance, cheese was declared "harmful": a very unfortunate delusion of scientists and doctors of the Renaissance. But the myth about the harmfulness of cheese did not last long. Already in the 18th century, cheese was fully justified, and a few decades later, industrial production of cheese began. The first to produce huge circles hard cheese Dutch. And since the XIV century and still this product is one of the important points of the country's income.

Concerning Russia, then we also knew cheese for a long time. The Slavs made cheese curd"- a product obtained by natural coagulation of milk. Historians say that the Slavs even pay tribute with their cheese. However, there were no traditions of cheese making as such in Russia until Peter I. It was he who invited Dutch cheese makers to Russia, and from that moment it was accepted count the history of cheese making in Russia.At the end of the 18th century, the first cheese factory appeared.It was established on the estate of Prince Meshchersky. industrial production cheese in Russia dates back to 1866. And by 1913, we were producing almost 100 varieties of cheese, many of which were successfully exported: a result that modern domestic producers are still far from achieving.

A well-known figure in the dairy industry N.V. Vereshchagin made a great contribution to the development of domestic cheese making. He sought to organize the production of cheese in the Russian countryside on an artel (cooperative) basis.

The great Russian chemist D. I. Mendeleev also showed great interest in cheese making. In the late 60s of the last century, on behalf of the St. Petersburg Free Economic Society, he specially traveled to the Tver and Novgorod provinces, where he got acquainted with the work of cheese factories organized by Vereshchagin.
Over time, the growth rate of cheese production in Russia increased. So, in 1940, cheese production reached 42 thousand tons, in 1965 - 288 thousand tons, and in 1970 - 625-670 thousand tons.

Cheese is milk that can be eaten. Pieces, slices, grated and just like that, shamelessly biting off the whole "brick". The daily requirement for cheese in an adult is 100 g, but many people eat much more. They can be understood. One scientist even suggested that cheese is addictive due to its low dose of morphine. To spoil the appetite of cheese lovers, let's recall a dry fact: holes in cheese are obtained because bacteria move, gas is formed from their movement, and holes form where it comes to the surface ... Did it work? Still craving cheese? Then another story: to get a real french cheese A short time, a special tick and worms are planted on its surface, the tick makes microscopic holes in the cheese crust, through which the cheese "breathes" ... what, this picture is not impressive? So you are a real cheese lover, and this is a diagnosis.

Cheese is rich in amino acids necessary for the formation of healthy cells. 70 g of some types of cheese contains as much protein as 100 g of meat, as well as vitamins A, B2, B12, D, a large number of calcium, phosphorus, zinc. 100 g of cheese contains the daily need for calcium and about a third daily requirement in phosphorus. Cheese is almost completely digested. The fat content of cheese is difficult to determine by eye. Dry and hard cheese may be more fatty than soft and tender cheese containing more water. If the package indicates 50% fat, do not think that the cheese is half fat: if you separate the water from the cheese, we get dry matter, it will have 50% fat.

How to make it?

Cheeses can be divided into three broad categories: rennet (hard), fermented (soft) and processed (processed). To make them, the cheese mass is separated from the whey. To do this, milk is placed for some time in a warm place until it turns sour and thickens, thanks to lactic acid bacteria. Then abomasum is added to it (an enzyme from the stomachs of calves, kids or lambs). There are also herbal remedies coagulation of milk is the juice of figs, the juice of russula mushrooms.

Then the cheese mass is processed as required by a particular type of cheese. Some cheeses want to ripen only in caves, others want to languish in warmth for years. The degree of maturity of the cheese is even determined musically: special tasters hit the cheese with silver mallets and determine whether it is ripe by the sound. As a result of maturation, “eyes” are formed on the surface - small voids from gases. good cheese gives another "tear" - droplets of water, saturated with salts milk and salt.

From what milk?

...from cow

They have low fat, sweetish and not very spicy taste. This soft cheeses: Brie, Camembert, Brick, Cantal, Eddam, Cheddar, Emmental, Maasdam.

... from sheep

They are pretty fatty, because. Sheep milk contains 9% fat. and contain more protein valuable substances than cheeses from cow's milk. Mainly cheeses from sheep milk- hard and dense (Aragon, Castellano). The taste is fresh. There are also soft ones with a curd structure and a sour-salty taste (Ricotta, Feta). Roquefort is the most famous cheese made from sheep's milk.

...from goat

Less fatty than sheep's. They are the second richest in trace elements. The trademark of cheeses from goat milk is a soft wrinkled crust. These include Rocamadour, Chabichou, Couche-verac, Crottin de Chavignol, Maconnais, Pelardon, Picodon, Pouligny Saint Pierre, Rigotte, Tourmon St Martin.

... from buffalo, horse, camel milk

Such cheeses are quite rare and delicious, highly valued around the world due to peculiar taste and useful properties.

They are so different, and yet they are together

Hard cheeses

They are boiled and uncooked. They are also called "grater" because of the difficulty in slicing - as a rule, they are grated, used in salads, pasta. They are not moldy due to the special manufacturing technology: fungi simply have nowhere to multiply. Hard cheeses have the same hard crust And yellow mass, taste sour, strong. These are Estonian Athlete, Altai Knight, Lithuanian Germantas, Dvaro, Svalya, Tilzhes, Italian Parmesan.

Semi-hard and semi-soft cheeses

The optimist calls them semi-soft, and the pessimist - semi-hard, but both of them will not be entirely right. Cheeses harden as they age. The hardest ripen longer, semi-hard - less, semi-soft - even less ... These cheeses have a creamy, moderately spicy taste and a thin crust, they are the most familiar to us. European cheeses have a nutty and fruity flavor and are more salty. Semi-hard cheeses include: French Beaufort, Cantal, Mimolet, Reblochon, Emmental, our Dutch, Poshekhonsky, Dutch Gouda, Edamer, Finnish Oltermann, Italian Pecorino, English Cheddar, Austrian Tilsiter and Moosbacher.

Cheeses large

For example, Soviet, Swiss, Altai, Kuban, Carpathian. They are covered with paraffin (thick crust), have "eyes", a sharp-spicy taste - and are stored for a long time.

Soft cheeses

They have a soft creamy/curd texture, and these cheeses have not been melted, crushed, or otherwise tormented. They are cottage cheese. They come with a moldy crust or with washed edges (no mold). For example, our Adyghe, German Limburg, Almette with additives, french brie, Camembert, italian mozzarella, Mascarpone, Ricotta, Greek Feta.

Pickled cheeses

They also belong to solid ones, but still form a separate group. These are the oldest of the cheeses. They have a sharp taste and a lot of salt. Pickled cheeses do not have a rind and tend to be firm and brittle. These include cheeses such as suluguni and feta cheese. Famous Georgian pickled cheeses- fresh, with a sour-milk taste (Suluguni and Imeretinsky), spicy and salty (Kobian, Tushinsky, vats). Original by appearance and the taste of chechil cheese: fibers tied into a bundle. It has very little fat - up to 10%.

Processed cheeses

They were invented in the 20th century and cannot be considered full-fledged cheeses, because. they contain extraneous fats of vegetable origin. Here they are being tortured full program: already, you know, they are ripe and exhaled - no, they are still smoked or melted. Thanks to this mockery, curds have the most long term storage and feel comfortable in the warmth. Processed cheeses come without spices - processed Kostroma, processed Roquefort, they taste like regular cheese; with spices and fillers. As well as pasty - "Friendship", "Wave", "Summer" and plastic - chocolate, coffee. Sugar and other fillers are added to the latter.

This Asian soy cheese stands a bit apart. Rich in proteins, calcium, iron and practically fat-free, tofu is also interesting because it quickly absorbs the taste of the product with which it is used. The denser the soy cheese, the more protein it contains. In structure, it resembles suluguni and Adyghe cheese. Tofu can be consumed fresh, deep-fried, in salads and desserts in combination with seasonings, sauces.

Smoked cheeses

They are smoked with beech wood, which gives these cheeses an original “wood-smoked” bouquet.

Blue cheeses with mold

A distinctive feature of these cheeses is the presence of specks of green-blue mold, which gives the cheese a special incomparable taste. Rye bread is used to form blue mold. The most famous blue cheese in the world is Roquefort, all the rest are its analogues. Roquefort has a special spicy spicy taste. And its analogues are Gorgonzola, Danish Danable, French blue cheeses Furm d "Amber (the most delicate), Bleu d" Auvergne (very sticky and loose, unsalted), and Bleu de Cosse.

National varieties of cheese

Austria - Alpen Blue, Moosbacher, Saint Severin, Amadeus.

Belgium - remudu, erv.

Great Britain - cheddar, cheshire, stilton, derby, gloucester, cottage, carphilly.

Germany - Limburg, Allgausian Emmentaler, Altenburger, Backstein, Romadur, Weislaker, Mainz, Harz.

Greece - feta, graviera, kefalotiri.

Denmark - havarti, dana blue, esrom, samso.

Spain - Burgos, Cabrales, Idiazabal, Maon, Manchego, Cueso Iberico, Roncal, Tetilla, Samorano.

Italy - Asiago, Bra, Castelmagno, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Grana, Pecorino, Provolone, Bel Paese, Ricotta, Romano, Cacho Cavallo, Fiore Sardo, Tom.

Netherlands - edam, gouda, maasdam, leidener.

Norway - jaarlsberg, gammelost.

France - Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne, Bleu de Bresse, Brie, Camembert, Comte, Cantal, Neuchâtel, Munster, Pont-Leveque, Reblochon, Beaufort, Livarot, Saint-Marcellin, Rocamadour, Brillat-Savarin, Fougère, Langre, Maroy , picodon.

Switzerland - Gruyère, Appenzeller, Tilsit, Raclette, Schabzig.

IN Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq make cheeses resembling pickled Caucasian ones. They also ripen in wineskins, sheep and goat skins.

In Asian countries, classic cheeses are not included in the culture of consumption. Kazakhs produce curd cheeses. They are prepared on the basis of katyk ( sour milk, fermented during the boiling process) - most often from sheep's milk, sometimes fresh cow's milk is taken. This is how zhegei and iremshchik cheeses are obtained. Turkmen cheeses have a very specific taste. Turkmens prepare local cheeses from sheep's milk: teleme, sargan, sykman.

Western cheeses are virtually unknown in India. Milk from cows, zebu and buffaloes is used here for the preparation of dairy products. Indians eat fresh, unripened paneer cheese, which combines several varieties of local cheeses ( homemade cheese, cottage cheese, pressed cheese). With no other cheese, vegetarian Indians will want to compare their paneer for versatility and subtle taste.

How and why to use cheese?

For sprinkling on top

In order for the casserole to have a brown crust of melted cheese on top, you will need cheese that melts easily, for example, mozzarella, sulguni. Hard cheeses need to be grated, and the crust of hard cheeses will become crispy when browned. Cheddar, caerfilly and soft goat cheese great for sprinkling on toast.

For toppings

Soft cheeses can be cut into pieces and wrapped in dough, baked in layers with vegetables or stuffed large pasta. For dishes like cheese croquettes, try mozzarella or brie, which melt very well. For pies, use Gruviere or Cheddar, or blue cheese for a particularly tangy flavor.

For scent

Parmesan, or its relative Pecorino Romano, has a strong flavor and dissolves rather than melts when heated. Gruviere contains more fat, so it melts more easily than parmesan and is well suited for sauces, soufflés and cheese pies; cheeses like cheddar behave similarly. Blue cheeses have a special strong smell so they go well with sauces and dressings.

Cheese recipes

Mackerel with Soviet-style cheese

Mackerel - 1 kg, Soviet cheese - 100 g, boiled ham - 4 slices, egg - 2 pieces, wheat flour - 1/2 cup, breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup, vegetable oil - 1/2 cup, salt

Mackerel cut into fillets with skin, salt, cut into 2 pieces per serving. Connect the pieces of fish in pairs, putting a slice of cheese and ham between them, fasten with wooden skewers, breaded successively in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs, fry in hot oil until tender. Remove skewers before serving. Can garnish fish fried potatoes, fresh cabbage salad, marinated onions, other vegetables.

Parma eggplant

750 g eggplant, 3 eggs, 30 g flour, 30 g butter, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, olive oil for frying, grated parmesan, 50 g mozzarella cheese

Cut the eggplant into 1 cm thick circles, salt on both sides and let stand. Then blot and roll in flour with pepper and beaten eggs. Fry the pieces in oil on both sides until golden color and post it on special paper for the fat to be absorbed. Add spices to taste to the tomato sauce and pour half into a baking dish, then lay the eggplant in layers, sprinkling each layer with grated parmesan and mozzarella. After that, pour the remaining sauce on top, sprinkle with grated parmesan, cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes at a temperature of 200 C. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Ready meal put on a plate and serve.

Tiramisu

For 4 servings: 250 g mascarpone cheese, 100 g sugar, soft biscuit, 1 cup strong coffee, 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Beat sugar with egg yolks until foamy and mix them with mascarpone cheese. Whip the egg whites until fluffy and add them to the mixture. Place a layer of biscuit on a plate and soak it with coffee and then add a layer of mascarpone cream on top. put on top new layer biscuit and repeat the procedure. Continue this until there are ingredients and then refrigerate for 12 hours. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top before serving. To give the dessert a special taste in coffee, you can first add 3 tablespoons of rum or Amaretto liqueur.

Processed cheese biscuits

Processed cheese - 200 gr, butter- 150 g, 2 cups flour, 1 egg

Finely chop the processed cheese, mix with butter, flour and egg. Knead the dough, refrigerate for a couple of hours. Roll out the dough, cut into strips or squares. Place on a baking sheet brushed with beaten egg and milk. Bake in a non-hot oven.

Heart salad with smoked cheese

Heart (pork or beef) smoked cheese"pigtail", egg, mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce.

Pork (or beef heart) rinse well and boil until tender. Smoked cheese- "pigtail" is divided into fibers and cut. Peel the boiled heart from films and fat, cut into strips. Cheese, fill the heart with mayonnaise, add a teaspoon of mustard. Mix well and let stand for ten minutes (because of the cheese). Put a “nest” on a plate, on top of lettuce leaves, add a little mayonnaise to the recess. Cut two hard-boiled eggs into slices. Wrap each slice in half. lettuce, and insert into the recess.

homemade cheese

Homemade cheese is most delicious chilled, but its shelf life is limited to one week in the refrigerator.

Method 1: Heat 4.5 liters of milk to 24 - 26 degrees and add 1 cup of sourdough. Cover and keep in a warm place for 12-24 hours until curdled and a little whey on top. Now cut the clot lengthwise and crosswise into half-inch cubes with a knife. Place the container with the mass in a large bowl with warm water. Heat to 40 degrees, stirring constantly so that the mass does not stick together. Do not overheat - carefully monitor the temperature! Monitor the hardness of the curd particles by periodically tasting the mass. Someone likes soft cottage cheese, and someone prefers hard granular, so when the mass seems ready to you, pour it into a colander lined with a cloth and strain for 2 minutes. After removing the cloth from the colander along with the contents, place it under a stream of warm water and, gradually adding cold, rinse off the serum. Place the mass in a bowl, add salt, cream to taste and chill well before drinking.

Method 2: Lightly heat 1 liter of sour milk in a water bath. Line a large colander with a cloth dipped in hot water and pour out the heated milk. Add 1 liter of warm water there and let it filter. Do this two more times. After the third time, remove the mass by the ends of the cloth and hang it to filter overnight. It remains only to add salt to taste.

Method 3: Pour 2 liters of soured milk into a large saucepan. Gradually add boiling water there, until the cheese mass begins to form. Let stand until the clot floats and can be removed. Mix cheese with cream and lightly salt.

HOW TO STORE CHEESE

On the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in a cool, damp place (up to 6-8 degrees Celsius). Wrap cheese separately from other foods and even other types of cheese. Hard and semi-hard cheeses are best bought in sealed packaging and stored in it (no more than ten days). In extreme cases, they can be wrapped in plastic or foil. Take the cheese out of the refrigerator an hour before eating to bring out the flavor and aroma of the cheese. And be sure to unpack.

What can be served with cheese?

Bread. There are about as many types of bread in the world as there are types of cheese. The best bread- domestic or rustic.

nuts. Europeans often serve cheese with walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts in the shell. Shelled nuts rarely have the same sweet taste.

Pickles. Serving cheeses with pickles is English custom. This garnish is suitable for hard, mature cheeses such as Cheddar, the spiciness of the pickles can dominate the cheeses.

Fresh fruits. Serve seasonal fruit preferably local. Citrus fruits are too spicy tropical fruits usually too sweet. Flawless - apples, pears and figs.

dry fruits. Dry figs, prunes and raisins are good with any style of cheese.

Interesting touches. TO cheese plate, but not on it, you can serve green onions, olives and black olives, celery, fresh beans and crispy leafy vegetables- arugula or lettuce.

Honey. If you lightly sprinkle the blue cheese with honey, its aroma will come out more strongly.

Countries in which the history of cheese making goes back hundreds of centuries and which gave the world the most exquisite and unique cheese flavors are, of course, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and others.

France

France has the largest variety of cheeses. The French themselves believe that there are more cheeses in France than there are days in a year.

About 1,500,000 tons of cheese are produced in France every year! The art of cheese making is national treasure for the French, and the history of the origin of cheeses is closely connected with the history of the regions of France.

France is famous for soft cheeses with spicy spicy taste and fresh, not undergoing the ripening process. These cheeses make up more than half of the cheeses produced in France. Recognized kings among cheeses, of course, Roquefort And Bree.

Roquefort — famous cheese with mold Bree- soft cheese with a white rind.

Austria

Cheese was brought to Austria by nomads. Austrian specialties are spicy hard cheeses from the Alpine regions, as well as tender and fresh cheeses from the east of the country. "Konek" of Austria - semi-hard and hard cheeses with a red culture.

Austria offers about 140 cheeses, and the range is constantly growing. In terms of quality, Austrian cheeses are not inferior to the best French ones. The most famous Austrian cheeses - Moosbacher, Amadeus, Traungold And Osterkron.

Italy

Italy is one of the few countries in the world where cheese is a national food. Bread, cheese and a sip of dry wine - and now the most common breakfast of a simple Italian.

Italy is famous for its hard cheeses. Parmesan is one of the most famous Italian cheeses. Besides, the Italians make great dessert cheese Gorgonzola, which, like Roquefort, is riddled with veins of blue mold. And so fresh Italian cheeses, How Mascarpone, ricotta And Mozzarella recognizable and loved all over the world.

Switzerland

Swiss farmers gave the world an extra-class cheese that bears the name of one of the country's valleys. This Emmental cheese, or just Swiss. He was born in the Alps and absorbed the aroma of alpine meadows. Cheese makers went to the mountains for several months and brewed huge cheeses there - for each head there was a daily milk yield from several cows.

A variety of Spanish cheeses was formed as a result of the manufacture of cheeses from cow's, sheep's, goat's milk and their mixtures.

Spain

Perhaps the most famous cheese Spain Manchego, which was made in La Mancha back in Roman times. To qualify for the famous Manchego label, the cheese must be hard and dry, yet rich and creamy. In its production, only the milk of La Mancha sheep is used.

Holland

This country has also been famous for its cheeses since ancient times. For Russia, Dutch cheeses are something special, because Emperor Peter I, impressed by the Dutch cheese makers, decided to create a cheese production in our country. There is a significant difference between the production of cheese in Holland and the French and Italian practice of cheese making. The fact is that in France and Italy, cheeses are prepared according to ancient unchanged recipes dating back more than one century, while Holland went along the line of innovation and, without borrowing foreign technologies, Dutch cheese makers created their own recipes. classic cheeses Gouda And Edamer.

England

Today, over 700 varieties of cheese are produced in England. The most famous representatives of English cheesemaking are spicy Blue and White. Stilton, and Cheddar. Blue Stilton cheese is proudly called the King of English cheeses. Stilton is an obligatory guest of the Christmas table, and his smell replaces the usual one for us. New Year tangerine flavor.

An amazing product - cheese! It's hard to question him nutritional value and practically does not deteriorate. I wonder who invented cheese and where? History does not exactly know the name of the inventor of cheese. It is believed that this product first appeared in Asia, where nomadic tribes, trying to store food (including milk) in bags made of leather, discovered that milk turned into curd balls and serum. What happened - the nomads liked it. And so the cheese appeared, as if by itself. From Asia, cheese and the secrets of its production technology “came” to Europe, where the ancient Romans mastered the skill of its production.

Dutch cheese traditions

A few centuries before our era, the art of making cheese from the Romans was adopted by the peoples who inhabited the territory of modern Holland. Huge herds of cows grazing on beautiful pastures provided a lot of milk needed to make cheese. But the Dutch did not imitate the Romans in everything, but reacted creatively to the process of making cheese, rethinking a lot. They began to make their cheese only from cow's milk. The production of cheese was considered traditionally a women's occupation, and glorifying it around the world was a man's business. Cheese merchants, sailors on long voyages, skilled chefs preparing many dishes from cheese, did an excellent job of this task.

Types (varieties) of Dutch cheese

Real Dutch cheeses are named after the cities where they are produced. The Dutch are very fond of cheese, and the most popular types of cheese in Holland are Edam (named after the port city of Edam), Gouda (both regular and smoked) and Maasdam (a relatively young cheese variety created to compete with the Swiss Emmental cheese, with huge holes and original taste).

Dutch cheesemakers are also proud of their spiced cheeses ( nutmeg, anise, cumin and others), the production of which also has centuries-old traditions. Holland is famous moldy cheeses, which have many advantages, such as Blauw Klaver, Doruvael and others.

The quality of Dutch cheeses is guaranteed by a special stamp, which is placed on each head of cheese. This stamp indicates the country of origin, the name of the cheese, its fat content and serial number. For the Dutch, cheese has become not only traditional product nutrition, but also part of them national culture. Here is such a history and traditions. By the way, of the cheeses, probably the most exotic is considered rotten, which is produced in Sardinia.

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Man learned to make cheese before he learned to write, that is, a very, very long time ago. The history of the origin of cheese making is shrouded in mystery to this day. It is still unknown where exactly cheesemaking originated - it could be Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, the Sahara. The earliest evidence of cheese making found by archaeologists dates back to 5500 BC. At this time, people were already raising animals for milk. Such milk was not stored for a long time, which was very inconvenient, especially for nomadic tribes. There is no reliable information on how cheese was first made using a milk-clotting enzyme. It can be assumed that the recipe for the first cheese was obtained by chance: ancient people used the stomachs of livestock as the first wineskins. When milk was poured into such a wineskin, it could curdle under the influence of pepsin and chymosin residues that are contained in the stomachs of animals. People have realized that milk in solid form has many advantages: it lasts much longer, it is much easier to carry around, and it tastes better. This is probably how the first cheese arose in ancient times.

In the ancient world, cheesemaking was already well developed. This is evidenced by numerous references to cheese and the process of its manufacture in the works of philosophers, thinkers and statesmen of that time. For example, Aristotle in one of his works described the technique of curdling milk and making cheese. In those days in Greece and Rome, cheese was a very popular product and was made different ways. There were already fresh, soft and hard varieties cheese, as well as pickled and smoked cheeses.

Time passed, humanity settled in new territories, and cheese-making developed along with it and adapted to new conditions. So, the Helvetians from the Swiss Alps were the first to master the technique of cheese-making: they collected milk from many cows and heated it in huge cauldrons, stirring and cutting the clot with the help of a coniferous tree trunk with branches. They pressed the resulting cheese under stones. This is how Swiss large hard cheeses weighing from 60 kg were born.

With the spread of Christianity throughout Europe, a large number of monasteries appeared. Monasteries in the Middle Ages owned a lot of wealth, among which - extensive agricultural land. raw milk was not stored for a long time, so the monks mastered the technique of making cheese. So, some varieties of cheese to this day bear the names of the monasteries in which they were invented (porte du salut, leveque, maroy, munster).

The advent of the railway served as a huge impetus for the development of cheese production throughout Europe. It became possible to quickly transport milk from remote farms to dairies, as well as the delivery of perishable cheeses from production sites to large cities.

When the French chemist Louis Pasteur discovered that heat treatment killed harmful bacteria and increased the shelf life of milk and invented pasteurization, it made the industrial production of cheese possible.

With the development of technology, the development of cheese-making industries also took place: there were ways to automate processes, improve the quality of cheese, prevent defects, protect cheeses during the ripening period. At present, each country produces many original varieties cheese.

Italy is the cradle of cheese making and is famous all over the world for its cheeses. Italians eat a lot of cheese: for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A standard Italian breakfast or snack is a piece of cheese with olives and bread and a sip of wine. Italian Parmesan is considered the king of cheeses. It is ripe up to several years, and its shelf life is up to 20 years! Also popular are Pecorino, Sbrinz, Caciocavallo and Provolone extract cheeses, blue cheeses (Gorgonzola).

In France, as before, the bulk of production is occupied by soft cheeses, cheeses with white mold. World-famous gentle Brie and Camembert, Neuchâtel, goat Crottin-de-Chavignoles.

In Germany, cheeses with a slimy rind are produced, such as the famous Limburger stinky cheese. The Germans love to eat such cheeses mixed with black rye bread washing them down with their favorite beer.

In the UK, cheesemaking is also widespread and has a rich history. Cheddar cheese is famous all over the world. Less known, but no less valuable and interesting cheeses are Cheshire, Shropshire blue, Stilton, Derby.

Many varieties of cheese have been invented in the North and South America. So, in the States and Mexico, Jack cheese is very common. They also produce Baby Swiss cheese, an analogue of Emmental, but smaller in size.

Dutch cheeses, like Swiss cheeses, are known for their large sizes and lots of eyes. The eyes in Dutch cheeses are much smaller than Swiss ones. Everyone knows such cheeses as Gouda and Edam.

Russian cheese-making began to develop since the reign of Peter I, who brought cheese-makers from Holland, who began to work for some representatives of the nobility, providing the production of handicraft cheeses in small volumes for the personal needs of landowners and their families. This is probably why the situation has developed that most of the cheeses industrially produced in our country are of the Dutch type. These include Russian, Kostroma, Poshekhonsky, Altai. Already after the abolition of serfdom, Nikolai Vasilievich Vereshchagin, who is referred to only as the father of Russian cheesemaking, founded the first cheesemaking artel, as well as the first school of butter and cheesemaking in the Tver province. School students in the village of Edimonovo learned the secrets of making Dutch, Swiss, French and English cheeses, after which they traveled around the country, where they opened their own cheese factories, developed and fine-tuned recipes. Unfortunately, the difficult history of our country did not allow domestic cheese makers to bring the quality of cheese production and competition to the proper level, which also affected the small variety of cheese varieties produced. IN Soviet time cheese was produced in industrial scale, which made it quite predictable and not distinguished by diversity, and such a phenomenon as private artisan cheese dairies, of course, was out of the question at that time. Now the situation is gradually changing for the better. A large number of small private cheese factories appear, as well as large cheese-making enterprises that produce varieties of cheese similar to those known in the world, as well as creating new cheese recipes. The food embargo, introduced in 2014 and affecting the import of cheese from Europe, although it carried many negative consequences, served as an impetus for the next round of development of cheese making in Russian Federation, since domestic cheese makers gained access to the huge Russian market, which was previously overflowing with imported products and did not give them a chance to develop. A fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey can be called large volumes of adulterated cheeses that have flooded Russian market on this wave. I would like to believe that in the near future the situation will improve and cheese-making in Russia (including home-made cheese-making) will reach a new level, which is why our portal " cheese house"also tries to contribute, to the best of his modest ability.

Cheese is the oldest food product, whose origins predate written history. So far, there is no conclusive evidence indicating exactly where it originated. technological process cheese making (cheese making) - in Europe, Central Asia, in the Middle East or the Sahara. The earliest evidence of cheese making in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BC. - on the territory of modern Poland, sieves were found, on which molecules of milk fats were identified. The oldest estimated date for the start of cheese making dates back to 8000 BC, when sheep were first domesticated. Skins and internal organs killed animals have been used by humans since ancient times.

The process of cheese formation was discovered by accident in the process of using the stomach of ruminants as a container for milk storage, as a result of rennet milk turned into curd and whey. There are several versions of the legend that the cheese was discovered by Arab nomads who used the method described above to store milk.

Cheese has been known in Europe since ancient times. So, in Homer's poem "The Odyssey" it is told how Odysseus and his companions, having got into the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, found many cheeses in baskets, and curdled milk in buckets and bowls. There we also find a description of the preparation of cheese: “Polyphemus milked goats and sheep, as is customary for everyone. White took half of the milk, instantly fermented it, immediately squeezed it out and put it in baskets woven tightly ... ".

So the ancient Greeks knew about cheese making no less than we do. This is evidenced by the treatise of Aristotle (384-322 BC), which describes the processes of coagulation of milk and the technique of making cheese.

The heyday of cheese making came in the Middle Ages, when the monks were engaged in its manufacture. It is thanks to them that the species diversity of cheeses has increased tremendously. They came up with the idea of salting, smoking, flavoring with spices and planting a noble mold on it. It is difficult to say what inspired the servants of the Lord to make cheese: perhaps they had nothing to do while waiting for the wine to ripen, or maybe they were looking for a product that would be best combined with wine, but, one way or another, it was the monks who came up with the idea of creating most known varieties of cheese. Moreover, it is generally accepted that it was from the Middle Ages that the words “cheese” and “wine” became inseparable.

During the Renaissance, cheese was declared "harmful": an absurd misconception by Renaissance scientists and physicians. But the myth about the harmfulness of cheese did not last long. Already in the 18th century, cheese was fully justified, and a few decades later, industrial production of cheese began. The Dutch were the first to produce huge circles of hard cheese. And since the XIV century and still this product is one of the important points of the country's income.

The Slavs made "cheese cottage cheese" - a product obtained by natural coagulation of milk, raw way. Hence the name of the product "cheese". Historians say that our ancestors even paid tribute with their cheese. However, there were no traditions of cheese-making as such in Russia until Peter I. It was he who invited the Dutch cheese-makers to Russia, and from that moment it is customary to count the history of cheese-making in Russia. At the end of the 18th century, the first cheese factory appeared. It was created on the estate of Prince Meshchersky.

The beginning of the industrial production of cheese in Russia dates back to 1866. And by 1913 almost 100 varieties of cheese were being produced, many of which were successfully exported.

In the early days of cheesemaking, cheeses were named after their place of production, so learn about them historical homeland not difficult. So, Parmesan was born in the Italian town of Parma, the birthplace of Roquefort and Camembert - French villages with similar names. Same story with Russian cheeses. The names Yaroslavsky, Uglichsky, Poshekhonsky speak for themselves.