When people talk about the wheel being the most important invention, I like to think they’re actually talking about cheese! Cheese, along with bread, is one of the oldest foods created by humans, possibly even older than beer. But with so many different types of cheese made in various ways, understanding the science behind this ancient food can be a bit tricky. Let’s dive into the world of cheese to learn more about it.
Cheese has been around for a very long time, even before people started writing things down. According to legend, cheese was discovered by accident. A goat herder from the Middle East was traveling through a desert and tried to store milk in the stomach of a butchered animal, using it like a canteen. When he went to drink it later, the milk had turned solid. While it might have been unfortunate for him, it was a fortunate discovery for us because that’s how we learned milk can turn into cheese!
To make cheese, you need four main ingredients. First, you need milk. Then, you heat the milk and add cultures, which start the process of lacto-fermentation, similar to how yeast works in bread. Next, you add rennet, which helps separate the curds (solid parts) from the whey (liquid part). The size of the curds you cut affects the type of cheese you make. Larger curds make softer cheese, while smaller curds make harder cheese like parmesan. Finally, you add salt to season the cheese. These four ingredients are essential for making any type of cheese.
There are seven main styles of cheese, each with unique characteristics:
These cheeses are perfectly white and have no rind. Feta is a great example of fresh cheese.
These cheeses bend before they break and melt easily, making them perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches.
Firm cheeses break but still have a melt-in-your-mouth quality. Cheddar and Gruyere are examples of firm cheeses.
These cheeses are often used for grating, like parmesan.
These cheeses use a mold called Penicillium candidum, which is either mixed into the milk or sprayed on the cheese’s surface.
These cheeses use bacteria instead of mold. Trappist monks were among the first to make these cheeses, washing them with beer to give them a unique flavor.
Blue cheese is made with a mold called Penicillium. Cheesemakers create tiny holes in the cheese to let oxygen in, which helps the mold grow and gives the cheese its blue color.
Cheese is an amazing blend of science and art. The environment where cheese is aged can greatly affect its taste and texture. For example, Roquefort cheese made in the caves of France tastes different from the same recipe made elsewhere because of the unique molds and bacteria in those caves.
So, cheese is not just a delicious food; it’s also a fascinating example of early biotechnology. It’s a wonderful mix of nature’s accident and human creativity. Stay curious and enjoy the world of cheese!
Imagine you are the ancient goat herder who discovered cheese by accident. Write a short story or create a comic strip about your adventure in the desert and how you stumbled upon cheese. Share your story with the class and discuss how accidental discoveries can lead to important inventions.
Try making a simple cheese at home or in class using milk, lemon juice, and salt. Follow the steps to heat the milk, add lemon juice to curdle it, and then strain the curds. Observe the transformation and discuss how this process relates to the traditional cheese-making methods described in the article.
Organize a cheese tasting session with different types of cheese: fresh, semi-soft, firm, hard, bloomy rinded, washed rind, and blue cheese. Taste each type and try to identify its characteristics. Create a chart to classify the cheeses based on their texture, flavor, and appearance.
Research the role of bacteria and molds in cheese making. Create a poster or presentation explaining how different microorganisms contribute to the flavor and texture of various cheeses. Highlight the science behind the aging process and how it affects the final product.
Explore the cultural significance of cheese in different countries. Choose a country and research its traditional cheeses, how they are made, and their role in local cuisine. Present your findings to the class and compare the cheese-making techniques and preferences across different cultures.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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When people say the wheel is the most important invention in human history, I like to think they’re talking about cheese. [MUSIC] After bread, cheese might represent mankind’s oldest product of science, possibly even predating beer. The challenge is that there are so many different cheeses made in various ways, making it difficult to understand the science behind this ancient food. So today, I’m heading over to my favorite cheese shop in Austin to see if we can learn more about cheese.
I’m here with Kara, our friendly neighborhood cheese expert, to find out more about the science of cheese. How’s it going?
Feeling fantastic! How are you doing?
I’m so happy to be here. It seems like for as long as people have been drinking milk, they’ve been eating cheese. So, where did cheese start?
Documentation doesn’t go as far back as cheese does. But the original recipe, as legend has it, is actually an accident, as some great food discoveries tend to be. A Middle Eastern goat herder traveling across a dry desert tried to store his milk in the stomach sack of an animal they had butchered, like a canteen. Unfortunately, when he went to drink it later, it was solid. I say unfortunately for him, but for us, it was very fortunate because that’s how we learned that milk can turn solid.
Is there something special about an animal stomach that turns milk into cheese?
Yes, rennet is one of the four core ingredients in making cheese and is what gives body to the milk. The stomach lining serves as a sort of gelatin.
Let’s say I have a glass of milk and I want to turn it into cheese. What’s the first step?
Four ingredients are necessary in making any cheese. You already have your first one if you have milk. You want to heat up the milk and then add in cultures. Cultures essentially start the lacto-fermentation process, similar to how yeast works in bread. Then you add in rennet, which separates the curds from the whey. Once you have that texture, you cut the curds, which is a significant decision. How big do you cut them? The more surface area on each curd, the more whey will wash out. If you want a softer cheese, cut the curds larger; for something like parmesan, cut them smaller. Once it’s sturdy enough, you season your cheese with salt. Those are the four ingredients you need to make any cheese.
Alright, so here we have our seven styles of cheese. This is just how we talk about cheese here, to help people feel at ease discussing it. We’ll start with fresh cheeses. Color and rinds develop with age, so this is a perfectly white cheese, a beautiful example of feta or fresh cheese.
Next, we have semi-soft cheeses, which bend before they break and have lower melting points—great for grilled cheese. Firm cheeses break but may still have a nice melt-in-your-mouth quality, including many cheddars and gruyeres. Then we have hard cheeses, often used for grating. If you ask me, all cheese is great!
Once you’ve got your cheese aging, certain molds and bacteria in the environment will affect the cheese. Some cheeses use molds and bacteria in the making process itself. Starting with the younger cheeses, we have bloomy rinded cheeses, which use a strain of mold called Penicillium candidum. The cheesemaker either mixes it in with the milk or sprays the exterior of the formed cheese with this mold.
Next, we have washed rinds, where bacteria is used instead of mold. Trappist monks were among the first to make washed rind cheeses. During Lent, when they abstained from eating meat, they would wash their cheeses with beer. The bacteria in the beer, called Brevibacterium linens, gives a meaty flavor.
The environment in which you age cheese significantly affects its taste and texture. You can make Roquefort cheese in the caves of France, and if you try to replicate the recipe in California, it will taste different due to the lack of the same molds and bacteria.
So, is blue cheese made with a fungus?
It’s a mold, specifically Penicillium. This type of Penicillium needs oxygen to bloom into blue. The cheesemakers create passageways by needling the cheese, allowing oxygen to reach the mold.
So there you have it, an 8,000-year-old food—our first biotechnology. Nature’s most delicious accident. It’s half science, half art, and all delicious. You have the best job ever!
It’s a pretty good job, I’m not going to lie. Cheesemonger—fun word, fun job. Stay curious!
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This version removes any informal language, humor, and specific references that may not be suitable for all audiences while retaining the core information about cheese.
Cheese – A dairy product made by coagulating milk, separating it into solid curds and liquid whey. – Scientists study how different types of bacteria affect the taste and texture of cheese.
Milk – A nutrient-rich liquid produced by mammals, often used as a base for making dairy products like cheese and yogurt. – In biology class, we learned how milk is transformed into cheese through the process of fermentation.
Cultures – Microorganisms used to ferment milk and produce cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. – The addition of specific bacterial cultures can change the flavor profile of the cheese.
Fermentation – A metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, or alcohol using microorganisms, often used in food production. – Fermentation is crucial in the cheese-making process as it helps develop the cheese’s unique taste.
Curds – The solid parts of milk that form when it coagulates during the cheese-making process. – During our experiment, we observed how curds separate from whey when making cheese.
Whey – The liquid that remains after milk has been curdled and strained during the cheese-making process. – Whey is often used in protein supplements because it contains essential amino acids.
Bacteria – Microscopic organisms that play a vital role in the fermentation process of cheese and other foods. – Certain bacteria are added to milk to start the fermentation process in cheese production.
Mold – A type of fungus that can grow on cheese, contributing to its flavor and texture. – Blue cheese gets its distinctive taste and appearance from the mold that grows within it.
Flavor – The distinctive taste of a food or drink, often influenced by the ingredients and processes used in its production. – The flavor of cheese can vary greatly depending on the type of milk and bacteria used.
Texture – The feel or consistency of a food, which can be smooth, creamy, crumbly, or hard. – The texture of cheese can change from soft to hard depending on how long it is aged.
