History of Cheese

Cheese has been enjoyed for centuries; once it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked, it was only a matter of time before cheese was produced!

Legend has it that cheese was 'discovered' by an unknown Arab nomad who filled a saddlebag with milk to sustain him on a horse-back journey across the desert. Stopping for a drink some hours later, he discovered the milk had separated into a pale watery liquid and solid white lumps. Because the saddlebag, which was made from the stomach of a young animal, contained a coagulating enzyme known as rennin, the milk had been effectively separated into curds and whey by the combination of the rennin, the hot sun and the galloping motions of the horse.

Archaeologists say that as far back as 6000 BC cheese had been made from cows and goats milk and stored in tall jars. Egyptian tomb murals of 2000 BC show butter and cheese being made, and other murals which show milk being stored in skin bags suspended from poles demonstrate a knowledge of dairy husbandry at that time.

It is likely that nomadic tribes of Central Asia found animal skin bags a useful way to carry milk on animal backs when on the move. Fermentation of the milk sugars would cause the milk to curdle and the swaying motion would break up the curd to provide a refreshing whey drink. The curds would then be removed, drained and lightly salted to provide a tasty and nourishing high protein food.

So, cheesemaking around the world gradually evolved in two main ways. The first was the liquid fermented milks such as yoghurt, koumiss and kefir. The second through allowing the milk to acidify to form curds and whey. Whey could then be drained either through perforated earthenware bowls or through woven reed baskets or similar material.

In New Zealand, it is said that Reverend Samuel Marsden imported New Zealand's first cows to provide cheese, milk and butter for his missionaries in 1814. Colonists soon found that New Zealand was ideal dairying country. The gold rush in the 1860's brought an influx of cheese-loving Europeans who used the local milk to create the products they’d savoured back home.

New Zealand’s first dairy factory was established in 1871 and today a range of large-scale businesses and artisan producers like Te Mata Cheese Co. are keeping pace with the nation’s ever-increasing demands for delicious, hand-crafted cheese.

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