If you want to know some interesting facts about cheese, you’ve come to the right place; here are 20 awesome cheesy facts!
‘Cheese’ comes from the Latin word ‘caseus’, which has been found to mean ‘to ferment/to sour’.
Cheese is made from the milk of cows, buffalo’s, goats, sheep, horses and camels.
Milk is boiled at a high temperature before the curds and liquid whey is separated, and rennet (an enzyme found in the stomach of mammals) is added.
Some cheeses can be curdled by adding lemon juice or vinegar.
The yellow to red coloring of cheese is done through the addition of annatto (tropical tree seeds).
There are many types of cheese such as hard cheese, soft cheese, cream cheese, and processed cheese, all which can be used in cooking.
Hard cheeses have a longer shelf live than soft cheeses.
Blue cheese, which has distinctive smells and tastes, have blue veins running through, which is caused by piercing the cheese and its crust with stainless steel needles and copper wires, to allow air into the product.
Cheese production can be dated back to 8000 BCE when sheep when first domesticated.
The Ancient Greeks credit the mythological hero Aristaeus, who discovered feta cheese, which is still widely used in Greek cuisine.
There are many types of cheese; Bel Paese, Bresse Bleu, Brie, Caerphilly, Camembert, Cheddar, Chesire, Cottage Cheese, Cream Cheese, Danish Blue, Demi-Sel, Derby, Dunlop, Double Gloucester, Edam, Emmenthal, Gjestost, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Gruyère, Lancashire, Leicester, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Port Salut, Roquefort, Samsoe, St. Paulin, Stilton, Tome au Raisin, and Wensleydale.
The US produces over 4275 tonnes of cheese a year. Germany produces 1927 tonnes, whereas France produces 1884 tonnes.
Greece consumes over 31.1 kg of cheese a year. France consumes 26.1 kg, whereas Iceland consumes 25.4 kg.
A seller of cheese is known as a ‘cheesemonger’.
Those who are lactose intolerant (unable to process a type of sugar found in milk and milk products) should avoid eating cheese.
Vegetarians eat vegetable based cheeses, which are usually almond or soy based.
It was once believed that eating cheese before bed could cause nightmares, but in fact it had health benefits.
People once believed the proverb that ‘the moon is made of green cheese’.
Collecting cheese labels is known as ‘tyrosemiophilia’.
The famous characters Wallace and Gromit are partial to Wensleydale cheese on crackers.
If you have any more cheesy facts, please leave them in a comment below!
