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About eGourmetCheese |
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History of Cheese
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According to Greek Mythology, the gods first
revealed the art of cheese making to Aristaeus, son of Apollo and Cyrene. Apollo
was the son of Zeus and Latona and the most handsome and beloved of all the
Olympian gods. Cyrene was a very beautiful Greek nymph from Thessaly. Their son
Aristaeus was a shepherd who, in addition to developing cheese making skills,
learned how to keep bees in hives and how to grow olives. That Greek legend
attributed the invention of cheese to the son of such a powerful god indicates
the fiery enthusiasm ancient man had for this most glorious, divine food.
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What perhaps really happened is that one day a shepherd observed that milk
curdled when placed in contact with certain herbs or the juice of certain
fruits. This curdled milk tasted even more appetizing than regular milk and
lasted longer. The shepherd the honed his cheese making skills as cheese became
the first man-made food. As cheese is simply the concentrate of milk, it made
sense to ancient man that the quality of the milk determined the quality of the
cheese. Thus man began to relocate his animals to the most fertile meadows full
of wild herbs and aromatic flowers and grasses. The early days of cheese making
were not limited to cows, goats and sheep however, as the great philosopher
Aristotle wrote of cheese made from mares and donkeys as well.
In all ancient societies, milk was always of primary importance, playing a
religious and economic role. Its use is well documented in ancient works of
poetry and literature. The earliest mention of cheese making is detailed in a
collection of sacred hymns of the peoples of Tibet dating back the the 12th
century BC. Later, cheese was mentioned in the Bible in the First Book of Samuel
when Jesse, the old Bethlehem shepherd, calls his fourth son David and says
"Here is a bushel of flour, and ten loaves; take them with all speed to thy
brethren in the camp; ay, and ten cheeses to be a gift for their commander..."
While cheese predated their society, it was the Greeks who pioneered the advance
of cheese making techniques from rudimentary to more modern methods. However, it
was the Romans who were responsible for teaching the rest of the world how to
make cheese. Numerous Latin writers such as Varro, Columella, Pliny the Elder,
and Palladius described the art of cheese making in their works. Details such as
nutrition, aging, temperatures and salting are covered in Roman texts. Thanks to
the Romans, the Greeks and the ancients before them, cheese today is one of the
most interesting, diverse, wholesome and delicious foods known to man.
eGourmetCheese was established in December 1997
to help shoppers quickly and conveniently access thousands of food from around
the world and find great shopping discounts.
All the products described on eGourmetCheese web site are sold directly to the customers
by reliable merchants.
eGourmetCheese doesn't accept any order and doesn't ship any product.
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This site was last updated on
07.08.2007
More information: webmaster@egourmetcheese.com
Copyright © 1997-2006 eGourmetCheese.com All right reserved.
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