History,Defination,Composition and Classification

Cheese is one of the oldest foods of mankind. It is commonly believed that cheese evolved in the Fertile Crescent between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq some 8000 years ago. The so-called Agricultural Revolution occurred here with the domestication of plants and animals.

It seems that the cheese originated accidentally as a result of the activities of nomadic tribes. Since animal skin bags were a convenient way of storing liquids for nomadic people, these were used for storing surplus milk. Fermentation of the milk sugars in the warm climate prevailing would cause the milk to curdle in the bags. The swaying animals would have broken up the acid curd during journeys, to produce curds and whey. The whey provided a refreshing drink on hot journeys, while the curds,preserved by the acid fermentation and a handful of salt, became a source of high protein food supplementing the meager meat supply.

This activity gave rise to the assumption that cheese was evolved from fermented milks. It is perhaps more probable that the crude fermentations progressed in two ways. In one direction towards the production of liquid fermented milks such as dahi, yoghurt, laban koumis and Kefir and in the other direction through the drainage of whey through a cloth or perforated bowls, to leave solid curds which when salted became cheese.

It was a prominent article of the Greek and Roman diet 2500 years ago. It is referred to in the Old Testament several times. Cheese making has been an Art’ handed down from generation to generation, and during that time even for the fastidious palate of the gourmet.

Until the 18th century, cheese making was essentially a farmhouse industry, but towards the end of the century scientific findings began to provide guidelines, which were to have an impact on the process of making and ripening cheese. Thus cheese making became an’ Art with Science’. Now the mechanization and automation has been taken to such a high level that tones and tones of cheese can be produced without a touch of hand.