A team of Chinese archaeologists were able to find what they described as “the oldest piece of cheese” in the world, more than 3,600 years old, during excavations in the northwest of the country, according to a report published by the American agency. “NBC News” network.
The team found the piece about 20 years ago, but recently confirmed that it was a piece of cheese after conducting extensive research into the matter.
“Ordinary cheese is usually soft, but now this piece has become dry, dense and very hard dust,” says Fu Xiaomei, a paleogeneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, co-author of a study published Tuesday in the Cell magazine.
She added in telephone statements to the American Network: “DNA analysis of cheese samples tells the story of the interaction of the Xiaohe people (now known as Xinjiang) with the mammals they possessed, and also shows how animal husbandry developed throughout East Asia. .”
The piece of cheese was found inside a Bronze Age coffin during excavations at the Xiaohe People’s Cemetery in 2003.
Ancient burial practices often involved placing objects important to the person buried next to them.
The scientist pointed out that what was found included pieces of “kefir cheese” next to the body, which showed that “cheese was important to the life” of the Xiaohe people.
Fu’s team took samples from three tombs, then processed the DNA to trace the evolution of bacteria over thousands of years.
Researchers identified the cheese as kefir, made by fermenting milk from kefir grains, and Fu explained that they also found evidence of the use of goat and cow’s milk.
The study also showed how the Xiaohe people, known to be genetically lactose intolerant, consumed dairy products before the era of pasteurization and refrigeration, where cheese production reduced lactose content.
