Discovery Of The World’s Oldest Cheese
Enrico Greco, University of Catania, ItalyThe cheese found by archaeologists in Egypt.
This bit of science news from researchers in Egypt has given a whole new meaning to the phrase aged cheese.
In fact, this discovery marks the oldest specimen of cheese ever found.
The cheese, which is believed to be approximately 3,200 years old, was found while the team was excavating the tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Sometime between 2013 and 2014, the team of archaeologists found a few broken jars at the site, one of which had a mysterious solid white mass inside.
Enrico Greco, University of Catania, ItalyThe cheese found by archaeologists in Egypt.
The researchers dissolved the substance and discovered that it was “a dairy product obtained by mixing sheep/goat and cow milk.” Because the canvas cloth believed to have covered the jar wouldn’t have stopped a liquid from escaping, the researchers concluded that the contents must have been a solid dairy product.
“The material analyzed in this study is probably the most ancient archaeological solid residue of cheese ever found to date,” the study concluded.
The cheese that the Ancient Egyptians feasted on was probably similar to modern-day chevre, but more acidic.
“It would be high in moisture; it would be spreadable,” Paul Kindstedt, a professor at the University of Vermont who studies the chemistry and history of cheese, told The New York Times. “It would not last long; it would spoil very quickly.”
Researchers have been studying samples of possible dairy substances in Ancient Egypt for decades and have extracted lipid and fat residues from pots and jars dating back as far as 7,000 B.C. However, the piece of cheese that the team of researchers found most recently is the biggest chunk of the dairy product to have ever been discovered.
