World's oldest known cheese found in China

[Recursion]

(Warning: creepy mummy picture at top of link)

http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/lumps-of-oldest-cheese-found-on-mummies-necks-140227.htm

The world's oldest cheese has been found on the necks and chests of perfectly preserved mummies buried in China's desert sand.

Dating back as early as 1615 B.C., the lumps of yellowish organic material have provided direct evidence for the oldest known dairy fermentation method. The individuals were likely buried with the cheese so they could savor it in the afterlife.

Although cheese-making is known from sites in northern Europe as early as the 6th millennium B.C. and was common in Egypt and Mesopotamia in 3rd millennium B.C., until now no remains of ancient cheeses had been found.

...

Protein analysis performed in Dresden showed the organic material wasn't butter or milk, but a cheese made by robust, easily scalable kefir fermentation. Shevchenko explained that such analysis is common in medical and biological science, but not in archaeology.

[MFM008]

1. was it velveeta?

that stuff is a mystery isnt it? Between that and spam you just dont know.....

[liberal N proud]

3. Cheese-wiz

[rurallib]

10. add a twinky and you have a meal that can last forever

[CincyDem]

2. Now that's some sharp cheddar. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

4. I've got some roquefort which has been in freezer since 1988.

I nibble a bit occasionally.

[arely staircase]

5. bullshit

Oldest known cheese is in the back of my fridge.

[countryjake]

6. Too cool! More proof that kefir keeps! n/t

[NuclearDem]

7. Still better than Kraft Singles.

[Recursion]

8. No doubt

Cheese isn't really a big thing here in India, at least not hard cheese. Paneer is big. I miss cheese at the supermarket.

[leftyohiolib]

11. that's not fair kraft singles is not real cheese

[randome]

9. Cheese-head.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]

[Baitball Blogger]

12. It must have been horrible tasting cheese if the worms didn't take it.

[snooper2]

13. I guess this proves there is no afterlife "finally"

Everybody always wants proof...


Here you go-

They didn't eat the cheese

[randome]

14. Astronaut Dave Bowman when he fell into what he thought was a quasi-afterllfe:

"It's full of cheese!"
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[panader0]

15. Strange--I never see any cheese on the menus at Chinese restaurants.

I didn't think the Chinese ate cheese. As a non-cheese eater, I was always convinced that that was the reason why the Chinese had out-populated the rest of us....

[Recursion]

16. Note that this is on the Asia/Europe cultural border

The society this is from seems to have some European and southwest Asian connections.

Also, this is a "farmer's" cheese which is somewhat popular in parts of east Asia.

[CBGLuthier]

17. The Indians eat cheese and they are quite numerous.

As a cheese eater I must take exception to either health or virility claims attributed to cheese avoidance.