The history of cheese.

I though I'd do an educational post for you all today, on a subject that's dear to my heart. Cheese.

Mmmm. Cheese. Can you imagine a world without cheese? Without it's strong/mild/mildlystrong flavour? Without it's creamy/hard/soft texture? Without all those wonderful names, from wonderful places, cheddar, gouda, gorgonzola, Wensleydale, brie?

Mmmm. Um, where was I again? Oh yes, well there was a day when there was no cheese. Long hard dreary days they were, until...

The History of Cheese
Most authorities consider that cheese was first made in the Middle East. The earliest type was a form of sour milk which came into being when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked. A legendary story has it that cheese was 'discovered' by an unknown Arab nomad. He is said to have filled a saddlebag with milk to sustain him on a journey across the desert by horse. After several hours riding he stopped to quench his thirst, only to find that the milk had separated into a pale watery liquid and solid white lumps. Because the saddlebag, which was made from the stomach of a young animal, contained a coagulating enzyme known as rennin, the milk had been effectively separated into curds and whey by the combination of the rennin, the hot sun and the galloping motions of the horse. The nomad, unconcerned with technical details, found the whey drinkable and the curds edible.

A happy accident!

In the Roman era cheese really came into its own. Cheesemaking was done with skill and knowledge and reached a high standard.

And before you knew it, the whole of the Roman Empire, then the world was eating cheese. End of story.

I'd like to go into more detail but I can't be bothered, instead I'll leave you with a recipe.

BEER AND CHEESE SOUP

Ingredients:
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1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced mushrooms
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp dry mustard
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 bunch broccoli
11 fl oz beer (use a can or bottle and save a swallow for the cook!)
6 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 tblsp grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
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Saute' the diced vegetables in butter.

Mix flour and mustard into sautaed vegetables. Add the chicken or
vegetable stock to mixture and cook for five minutes.

Break broccoli into small flowerets; cut stems into bite-sizes pieces.
Steam until tender-crisp. Add beer and cheeses to the soup. Simmer
10-15 minutes. Check seasonings.

To serve, place some broccoli into a soup bowl and ladle the soup over it.

Mmmm. Beer and cheese.