Mummies' Milk: World's Oldest Cheese Found in China
The oldest cheese was found on the bodies of mummies buried in China's Taklamakan Desert. Mummies were buried with the things they valued. The cheese was buried with them so they would have a "tasty snack" in the after life. The cheese buried with the mummies was very nutritious and easy to digest. The researchers have found traces of cheese from as far back as the sixth millennium B.C. They found traces of cheese in pottery shards. The cheese was found during excavations of the Xiaoche Cemetery. Researchers found that the cheese did not need require an enzyme, known as rennet. Rennet is used to make cheeses like cheddar. The cheese they found had less salt content then other brined cheeses, and was preserved better.
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http://www.livescience.com/43782-mummies-have-oldest-cheese.html
I had never heard of mummies being buried with cheese before! I wonder if they do that around the world, or is it just exclusive to this area of China?
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