The history of cheese (I): the origin of cheese

Jan 26, 2026 | The Good Cheese

The history of cheese is full of assumptions, when and where it originated is a complete mystery, but one thing we can say for sure is that. The first cheeses appeared in the Neolithic period, when humans learned to domesticate animals, Specifically, the first sheep between the year 8000 BC and 3000 BC. That was the moment when our ancestors were able to taste this ancient food with a history that will whet your appetite.

A brief history of cheese: the origin of a food that is over 10,000 years old

The birth of cheese and its legend

The most widespread legend tells of an Arab merchant While traveling through the vast desert, he stored milk in a container made from a lamb’s stomach. Upon opening it, he discovered that the milk had fermented, due to the rennet in the lamb’s stomach and the high desert temperatures. Another version of the same legend features… Kanama, a shepherd from Asia Minor, which had the same ending: the discovery of a delicious food resulting from the fermentation of milk. Another, more romantic story is told greek mythology, saying that it was the Olympian gods who taught humans how to make cheese as a divine gift. They weren’t far from the truth, were they?

The first documented cheeses

Since ancient civilizations, cheese has stored for times of scarcity and has been considered a food with numerous benefits, such as its ease of transport, good preservation and its high in fat, protein, calcium and phosphorus. The oldest archaeological finds have been found in the Ancient Egypt. Where it is believed they were made fresh cheeses similar to cottage cheese, churning milk, storing it in goatskin sacks and filtering it through reed mats. Its origin was also the Ancient Mesopotamia where was found ‘La Lechería’. A Sumerian frieze from the temple of the goddess of life Ninhursag showing in detail the cheese production phases, from milking, churning and filtering to storage. Cheese also plays a major role in recipes and desserts highly prized in the Ancient Greece.Where it wasn’t eaten alone, but mixed with flour, honey, oil, raisins, and almonds. But it was the Ancient Rome which catapulted its popularity to unimaginable levels. The ancient Romans consumed cheese, especially goat’s cheese, practically daily and seasoned it. with thyme, pepper, pine nuts and other nuts. Histhe manufacturing process was very similar the one we use today, and it was this one that spread to all corners of the Empire.

The spread of cheese around the world

As we have shown, with the expansion of the Roman Empire the elaboration techniques the cheese spread through much of Europe, reaching regions that developed their own local techniques. The same thing happened during their decline. When the barbarian peoples. They spread their cheesemaking techniques throughout the territories they were invading. The Vikings facilitated the development of the cheesemakers’ knowledge transmitted to the Baltic countries, England and Normandy and, later, the crusades. They established a connection between Byzantium (the eastern part of the Roman Empire) and the Arab cultures with Western Europe, who exchanged their knowledge about cheese.

At the end of the Middle Ages,With the rise of trade and the increase in the urban population, cheese became a important product for the economy.Thus began to develop international trade, which would culminate with the new routes that the discovery of the new world. Ein which cheese was one of the goods that were traded.

The birth of the cheese industry

In the 19th century, cheese became an indispensable product on the most refined tables. For this reason, Switzerland opened the first factory for the industrial production of cheese in 1815. However, it was in USA where cheese production. It was a resounding success. The origins of its large-scale production have a name and surname: Jesse Williams. This farmer from Rome, New York, began making cheese, creating a chain of collaboration with nearby farms so that they would let him use their milk. This association of farms was a key factor in the American cheese industry and continued to be so for decades. He April 20, 1864 Something happened that would change the entire industry. The French chemist, Louis Pasteur, along with his colleague, Claude Bernard. They discovered the technique of pasteurization, which allowed for the reduction of infectious agents that the milk might contain. This great advance made it possible to mix milk from different sources and herds of animals to obtain a homogeneous product, considerably reducing the risk of the appearance of organisms that could spoil the process. The 20th century brought numerous advances that accelerated the modernization of this industry, transforming it into what we have today. In this same century, a young man Hersilio García Baquero began to be made by hand She made a few cheeses a day with milk from her animals. They were so delicious and so popular that she decided to name them after herself. That’s how they were born. García Baquero, from where, and Little by little, through hard work and perseverance, he incorporated continuous improvements in the “ways of doing things” to achieve an increasingly better cheese. It is currently estimated that there are approximately 2,000 varieties of cheese all over the world. They all share a common origin and are the result of thousands and thousands of years of tradition. If you want to learn about the most popular varieties in the world, you can’t miss the second part in the“The history of cheese (II)”. See you soon!
Una breve historia del queso, origen de la leyenda, expansión por el mundo y nacimiento de la industria quesera