Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEvidence of world's 'oldest' cheese-making found
Scientists may be one step closer to uncovering the origins of cheese-making, as evidence thousands of years old has been uncovered. What would a Neolithic cheese have tasted like?
Truly an ancient art, no-one really knows exactly when humans began making cheese.
But now milk extracts have been identified on 34 perforated pottery vessels or "cheese-strainers", which date back 7,500 years that have been excavated in Poland.
It is unambiguous evidence for cheese-making in northern Europe during Neolithic times, scientists believe, and the findings have been published in the scientific journal Nature.
"We analysed some fragments of pottery from the region of Kuyavia [Poland] pierced with small holes that looked like modern cheese-strainers," says Melanie Salque, a postgraduate student at the University of Bristol's Department of Chemistry.
"They had been thought to be cheese-strainers because of the peculiar presence of holes on the surface.
"However, they could well have been flame covers, chafing dishes, honey strainers or used for beer-making, to strain out chaff.
Ms Salque and her team then analysed lipid residues on the vessels and detected milk residues, which they say provides a link to cheese-making.
A cheese strainer from Haute-Loire, France, dating back to the beginning of the 20th Century helped inform scientists.
Modern and ethnographic cheese strainers were used to build up an understanding of how the perforated pottery vessels found in Poland might have been used during Neolithic times.
Source: Melanie Salque, Bristol University
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/20695015
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
7 replies, 1773 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (9)
ReplyReply to this post
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Evidence of world's 'oldest' cheese-making found (Original Post)
littlemissmartypants
Dec 2012
OP
Of course, not to be taken literally. All manufacturers of dairy products are equally blessed.
eppur_se_muova
Dec 2012
#7
AnnieBW
(10,437 posts)1. Blessed are the cheesemakers!
They're gouda people.
eppur_se_muova
(36,274 posts)7. Of course, not to be taken literally. All manufacturers of dairy products are equally blessed.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)2. Did they find any sharp implements?
Hekate
(90,737 posts)3. Cheese is probably my favorite food
Blessed are the cheese-makers indeed!
njcamden_25884
(27 posts)4. fascinating find
oh, and cheese is delicious.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)5. Well, at least they're not claiming it has religious significance
You might say that archaeologists' infatuation with doing that cheeses me off.
longship
(40,416 posts)6. Wonder if it was Venezuelan Beaver Cheese?
No cheese thread is complete without this clip.