Randy Chandler
Cheese is made all over the world, with the United States accounting for 28% of the world's cheese production in 2021. However, the origin of cheesemaking is still unknown, with the earliest evidence dating back to 5500 BCE in Kuyavia, Poland. There is also evidence of cheesemaking in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. Today, cheese is made from a variety of milk, including cow, camel, horse and yak milk.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Largest producer of cheese | United States |
| Other large producers of cheese | Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands |
| Earliest evidence of cheesemaking | Poland |
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What You'll Learn
- The US is the world's largest producer of cheese, accounting for 28% of the total
- The earliest evidence of cheesemaking dates back to 5500 BCE in Kuyavia, Poland
- In 2014, France, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Germany were the highest consumers of cheese, averaging 25kg per person per year
- Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking during World War II and has been the source of most cheese in America and Europe since
- Cheese can be made from a variety of different types of milk, including cow, camel, horse and yak
The US is the world's largest producer of cheese, accounting for 28% of the total
It is difficult to pinpoint where lots of cheese is made, as it is produced all over the world. However, the US is the world's largest producer of cheese, accounting for 28% of the total amount made globally. This is followed by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands as secondary producers.
The earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE and was found in Kuyavia, Poland, where strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been discovered. However, there is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, whether in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East. The earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated.
Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking in the World War II era, and factories have been the source of most cheese in America and Europe ever since. By 2012, cheese was one of the most shoplifted items from supermarkets worldwide. In 2021, world production of cheese from whole cow's milk was 22.2 million tonnes.
Cheese can be made from a variety of different types of milk, including cow's, camel's, horse and yak's milk.
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The earliest evidence of cheesemaking dates back to 5500 BCE in Kuyavia, Poland
There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, whether in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East. The earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated. However, the earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE and is found in what is now Kuyavia, Poland, where strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been found.
Cheese is now mass-produced in factories, which have been the source of most cheese in America and Europe since World War II. In 2021, the United States accounted for 28% of the world's cheese production, followed by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. In 2014, France, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Germany were the highest consumers of cheese, averaging 25 kg (55 lb) per person per annum.
Cheese can be made from a variety of different types of milk, including cow's milk, camel's milk, horse milk and yak's milk. Some cheeses need an addition of bacteria to start the transformation from milk to cheese, so cheesemakers add starter cultures to the milk. A starter culture contains living bacteria that eat the lactose sugar in milk, turning it into lactic acid. As more lactic acid develops, the cheese's acidity levels rise. This acidity is what helps with curdling, preservation and flavour development.
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In 2014, France, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Germany were the highest consumers of cheese, averaging 25kg per person per year
Today, cheese is mass-produced in factories, with the United States accounting for 28% of the world's cheese production as of 2021. However, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands are also secondary producers. Some cheeses are still made with more obscure types of milk, such as camel's milk, which is used to make caravane cheese in Mauritania.
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Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking during World War II and has been the source of most cheese in America and Europe since
There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, whether in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East. The earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated. The earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE and is found in what is now Kuyavia, Poland, where strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been found.
Cheese was likely discovered by accident, by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal, resulting in the milk being turned to curd and whey by the rennet from the stomach. There is a legend—with variations—about the discovery of cheese by an Arab trader who used this method of storing milk. From there, cheesemaking spread around the Mediterranean, arriving in places like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Stone Age Poland. Later on, the Roman Empire mass-produced the stuff and spread it even farther across the Old World. Cheese then endured through the Dark Ages and finally made its way to America during the 17th century.
In 2004, Americans were reported to have purchased more processed cheese than "real", factory-made cheese. As of 2021, the United States accounted for 28% of the world's cheese production, followed by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
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Cheese can be made from a variety of different types of milk, including cow, camel, horse and yak
The earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE and was found in what is now Kuyavia, Poland. Here, strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been discovered. However, there is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, whether in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East. The earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated.
Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking during the World War II era, and factories have been the main source of cheese in America and Europe since then. In 2021, the world produced 22.2 million tonnes of cheese from whole cow's milk, with the United States accounting for 28% of the total, followed by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
France, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Germany were the highest consumers of cheese in 2014, averaging 25 kg (55 lb) per person per year.
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Frequently asked questions
Most cheese is factory-made in the United States, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, but it is thought to have begun in either Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East. The earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE in what is now Kuyavia, Poland.
Most mass-produced mozzarella is made with cow's milk, but cheese can also be made from camel's milk, horse milk or yak's milk.
