Cheese has been around for at least 8,000 years. It's a great way to preserve the nutritional value of milk, and, happily, it also tends to taste very good.
Cheese has its origins in the Middle East, where people were renowned for their cheese making skills. The Roman empire adopted cheese as a staple, and refined the process of making it into a fine art. It was so important that Romans had separate kitchens set aside solely for the making of cheese, and centers where people could bring in their cheese to get it smoked.
As the Roman empire spread throughout Europe, the secrets of making good cheese spread with it. With the collapse of the empire, cheese-making regions became isolated, so they developed their own unique types of cheeses. However, the Dark Ages was a time of little innovation as far as cheese-making was concerned. While monks managed to keep cheese-making traditions alive during the middle ages, cheese as a food became less popular, as it was considered unhealthy.
However, that changed in the early 19th century. The move toward industrialization brought a renewed interest in cheese, so factories began producing it. Pasteurization––the process of sterilizing milk––helped popularize cheese, as pasteurized cheese was thought to be more healthy.
Still, until the 20th century cheese was considered a specialty food. These days, due in part to the ability to mass-produce it, cheese has became a staple of most diets. The range of variety in types of cheese available has also grown––Italy alone makes almost four hundred different varieties of cheese!
Fine Italian cheeses can generally be found at local retailers, as well as at online stores that cater to the gourmet Italian market. Whether you use mozzarella on a homemade pizza, Fontina in a fondue pot, or Gorgonzola after dinner with a nice glass of red wine, the development of Italian cheeses has added character, taste, and richness to even the most ordinary of diets.
Remember, cheese, like most of the good things in life, should be enjoyed in moderation––but when it is, it can be a healthy way to enjoy a bit of Italian history!
