About
Cheese was likely discovered accidentally — milk stored in animal stomachs (which contain rennet) naturally separates into curds and whey. The earliest cheese-making evidence dates to 8,000 years ago in Poland. Ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Greeks all consumed cheese. Roman legions carried cheese as field rations.
Today there are approximately 2,000 named cheese varieties worldwide. France alone has 246 varieties; Androuet's cheese shop in Paris stocks 200+ simultaneously. Protected designation cheeses — Roquefort, Manchego, Gruyère, Grana Padano — can only legally bear their names if made in specific regions using traditional methods. The world's most expensive cheese, Pule (Serbian donkey cheese), costs $600/kg.
# Top 10 Cheese History facts
- 1The earliest cheese-making evidence is 8,000 years old — found in pottery in Poland
- 2France has 246 official cheese varieties — Charles de Gaulle said 'How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 kinds of cheese?'
- 3Pule, made from Balkan donkey milk, costs $600 per kilogram — the world's most expensive cheese
Fascinating Facts
- ◆The earliest cheese-making evidence is 8,000 years old — found in pottery in Poland
- ◆France has 246 official cheese varieties — Charles de Gaulle said 'How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 kinds of cheese?'
- ◆Pule, made from Balkan donkey milk, costs $600 per kilogram — the world's most expensive cheese
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