9 Questions
What is the approximate age of the earliest direct evidence of cheese-making?
7,000 years old
What is the likely reason for hard salted cheese being the only form of cheese that could be kept in a hot climate?
It was less likely to spoil
Where is the origin of cheese-making uncertain?
All of the above
What is the earliest written evidence of cheese?
Sumerian cuneiform texts
Where does the earliest evidence of cheese-making in Egypt date back to?
5,000 years ago
When did cheese-making become a common practice and food group in Roman times?
Before the first century BC
When did the first factory for the industrial production of cheese open?
1800s
When did factory-made cheese overtake traditional cheese-making?
During the World War II era
What happened to cheese-making in Europe?
It became more diverse
Study Notes
The History of Cheese
- Cheese production began over 7,000 years ago.
- Cheese-making may have begun by storing and transporting milk in bladders made of ruminants' stomachs.
- The origin of cheese-making is uncertain, with evidence pointing to Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, or the Sahara.
- The earliest direct evidence of cheese-making is found in excavated clay sieves over seven thousand years old.
- Hard salted cheese is likely to have accompanied dairying from the outset, and it is the only form in which milk can be kept in a hot climate.
- The earliest written evidence of cheese is found in Sumerian cuneiform texts dated at the early second millennium BC.
- Cheese-making was known in Europe at the earliest level of Hellenic myth.
- Archaeological evidence for making cheese in Egypt goes back about 5,000 years.
- Cheese-making was a common practice and food group in Roman times.
- Cheese-making diversified in Europe, with locales developing their own traditions and products.
- The first factory for the industrial production of cheese opened in Switzerland in 1815.
- Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheese-making during the World War II era.
Think you're a cheese connoisseur? Test your knowledge with our quiz on the history of cheese! From the origins of cheese-making to the industrial production of cheese, this quiz will take you on a journey through time. See if you can answer questions on the earliest evidence of cheese-making, the diversity of European cheese traditions, and the impact of World War II on cheese production. Don't be afraid to get cheesy!
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