If humans did not know how to make cheese, we would not have enjoyed pizza, pasta, and many other dishes today! Cheese is one of the most popular and the oldest known foods to mankind. In fact, there is no proper record of its origins or date of invention! The only factual part we know is that cheese is an accidental discovery that led to the introduction of different types of cheeses that we savor in the modern era.

Whether it is the stringy Mozzarella or the exotic blue cheese, adding a bit of cheese can make any dish taste finger-licking good! Read along to know the history of cheese, the classifications and the many varieties of cheese with pictures.

What is Cheese?

Cheese is made from milk by separating the solid curds from the whey liquid. The process involves adding an acidic substance like lemon juice or rennet to milk to curdle it. Cheesemakers then remove the semi-solid substance from the liquid and send it for further processing. While fresh cheese varieties like paneer use vinegar or lime, harder and aged cheeses use rennet to infuse more flavour-making bacteria.

History of Cheese:

The first known documented case of cheese making dates back to 8000 BCE when milk ‘accidentally’ turned into curd and whey due to its storage in inflated animal organs. Experts opine that the rennet present in the animal’s stomach could have triggered the curdling process. By the 8th Century BCE, cheese was a staple food for ancient Romans and Greeks, who had a meticulous process of cheese-making.

Gradually, traditional cheese-making gave way to industrial, mass-produced cheese to cater to the ever-growing demand for this food. Today, more than 1000 different types of cheese are produced across the world, with newer variants and flavors getting added each day.

Classification of Cheeses with Examples:

The categorization of cheeses may happen based on a number of parameters like length of fermentation, texture, source of milk, country of origin etc. The normal way of classification is by the texture, which is the degree of firmness of a cheese.