The Origins of Le
Fromage
Everybody loves cheese, but very few people know much about it. So many flavors, so many colors, even the smell can be overwhelming at times. We all know it is made from milk, and that it comes in many shapes and forms, flavors and textures. But cheese is so much more than a dairy product, it is an object d’art, a piece of human history, an heirloom passed down from antiquity. Throughout every generation, people have seen the craft of cheese making not only as a skill, but as an art form as well. It is an ancient food, which carries much history in its delicious pâte.
The Cheese is Born: How Cheese Was First Discovered
The birth of cheese dates back all the way to 6000 BC in Mesopotamia, which is today Iraq. According to a myth, it was an accidental discovery by a mysterious Arab. To prepare for his journey through the desert, this Arab stored milk into a saddlebag, which was made out of the stomach of an animal. Midway through his trip, the man noticed that the milk had formed into curds and whey. Although the man did not know this then, this was due to the rennin, a coagulating enzyme released from the saddlebag. The heat of the desert sun and the rocking movement of his horse had caused the milk to separate into curds and whey. The Arab found it quite suitable for eating, and the rest is ancient history.
An Empire of Cheese: Ancient Cheese-Making Techniques
Many farmers found the method of converting milk into a solid as a useful way to store dairy. They allowed milk to curdle and would strike it with branches, later pressing it on stones and leaving it out to dry in the sun. The Greeks attributed its origins to the deity Aristaeus, son of Apollo, as a gift to the people. Cheese from the milk of goats and ewes was used in pastries, and served to soldiers and sailors during their long journeys across the land and sea.
By the end of the first century AD, technology had advanced to where cheese presses were invented to press the curd. The Romans discovered how to ripen the cheese to get a certain taste, and what conditions are needed in order to acquire a particular texture and aroma. The Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne who discovered blue cheese on a trip through his country, also helped popularize it throughout the Empire. The Roman Empire had much to do with the diversification and popularization of cheeses. The expanding Roman Empire brought to its conquered peoples these methods and techniques, which then got transformed and assimilated throughout the Empire. The decline and collapse of the Empire caused many of these cheese-making techniques to be forgotten and fall into disuse, to persevere only in relatively remote areas, such as the mountains and monasteries (thus the term ‘monastery’ cheese), where many cheeses are still produced today.
The Evolution of Cheese During the Middle Ages
The golden age of cheesemaking has its roots in the history of the Middle Ages, when monks took an interest in this remarkable product. The monks were master cheese makers, developing innovative and original cheeses that are still eaten today. They invented salting the cheese, smoking, seasoning it with spices, and introducing noble molds. It is difficult to say for certain what drove monks to turn their hands to cheesemaking-perhaps they needed something with which to fill their time between wine maturations, or maybe they were seeking the perfect food with which to enjoy wine. Whatever the reason, it was the monks who are credited with devising many of the varieties of cheese we have today. Besides, many people consider that the words "cheese" and "wine" have been synonymous since the Middle Ages. The cheeses that most blossomed in this era were from France. Although considered a gourmet food today, cheese was a popular product throughout the countryside and villages, enjoyed by everyone from royalty to peasantry.
The Renaissance Era: New Varieties and Innovations
However, during the Renaissance, cheese was declared "harmful"—a rather unfortunate misconception by the scholars and doctors of that era. But the myth of cheese's harm didn’t last long. In the 18th century, it was fully rehabilitated, and a few decades later, industrial production of cheese started. The first hard wheels of cheese were produced by the Dutch, and since the 14th century until today, this product has always been one of the main sources of income for this country.
The Modernization of Cheese-Making in the 19th Century
The industrial revolution saw a heavy decline of traditional ‘artisanal’ methods of cheese making. New methods for automating production, improving cheese quality, preventing defects, and protecting cheese during the aging process emerged. Cheeses manufactured in factories were usually creamy and mild in taste, but widely available to the public, under the name of industriel cheese. By the 20th century, most cheeses were made in factories. Recent trends and demand for quality, not quantity, brought the comeback of the traditional cheese-making techniques, the fermier (farm-made) and artisan cheese, very labor-intensive, producing cheeses of high quality and delicate flavor.
America’s Cheese Boom
In the 17th century, cheesemaking was imported with Puritan farmers from England, carrying along the traditions of dairy farming. At the beginning, cheese production lay on the East Coast, where most colonial activities took place in the colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. As has been the case with other food traditions, though, cheese manufacturing traveled west over time as settlers carried knowledge along from farming regions such as Vermont, New York, and Ohio. These regions became the focal point of milk production, so that New York and Ohio became the main leaders of cheese production in the United States for more than 150 years.
Cheesemaking took off in Wisconsin during the 19th century with immigrants arriving from Switzerland, Germany, and Norway, bringing along traditions and experience of village-type cheese-making. The first milk processing plant opened here in 1831, and by the end of the century, Wisconsin had become the leading cheese producer in America. Thanks to cooperatives and technological innovations such as vacuum packaging, American cheese gained its reputation little by little, and Wisconsin still is the main hub of the United States cheese industry today.
Cheese Today: Global Varieties and Trends
In recent years, artisanal cheesemaking has seen a revival, with small-scale producers experimenting with aging processes, milk sources, and sustainable practices to create distinct flavors that cater to a growing number of cheese enthusiasts.
Modern trends in cheesemaking emphasize not only tradition but also innovation. At the same time, plant-based cheese and lactose-free cheese also gain momentum to fill the demand of health-conscious consumers. Not to lag behind the trend are the cheese-and-wine pairing, charcuterie, and even whiskey pairing-all budding as people's taste for new culinary experiences develops. Technology is giving new face-lifts in providing digital tools which would give traceability and quality control. Today's cheese world is not just respect for timeless recipes but making new flavors that can capture the global palate.