British archaeologists have analyzed residues on Iron-Age ceramic pots found at six archaeological sites in the Swiss Alps, and found evidence of heating milk, an important step in making cheese. That could place the origins of high-altitude cheese-making back as far as 3000 years ago.
The fragments were found in stone buildings that are very similar to those in use today by Swiss dairy farmers in the high Alps. Even today, making cheese at high altitudes is not an easy task.
According to one of the researchers, “Prehistoric herders would have had to have detailed knowledge of the location of alpine pastures, be able to cope with unpredictable weather and have the technological knowledge to transform milk into a nutritious and storable product.”
Before this, the only documented production of cheese in Switzerland dates to about the 12th century, when Gruyere and Emmental became cheese-making centers. For more information, from TheLocal.ch, click HERE
Photo: EKG917 / Wikimedia
3,000 years old? ? Would that make it extra mature or vintage ?