Where Did Cheese Really Come From? 

What is your favorite cheese?

We were on a camping site in Italy when a German lady asked me from which Dutch town we were from. I answered Gouda which made her look puzzled and after about half a minute, she said: "You are living in a cheese?!!"

As a Vermont dairy farmer and professional cheesemaker, I really appreciated this video. I particularly enjoyed seeing the illustrations from the past, documenting our craft. It is really nice to see the resurgence of micro-dairies in our state that not only make traditional cheeses, but also those of their own creation. On our state licensed farm and creamery, we specialize in a variety of artisan goat cheeses ranging from creamy Chevre, to bloomy rind semi-soft varieties like Brie and Petit Bucheron (my own creation), as well as traditional Feta and Romano. My only pet peeve with some cheesemakers is their incorrect use of the term Farmstead Cheese. By law you can only label a cheese as "farmstead" if at least 50% of the milk comes from your own herd located on the same premises as the creamery. With our cheeses, 100% of the milk is from our goat herd. As for my favorite cheeses: Our own Petit Bucheron, Gorgonzola Dolce and Bleu d'Auvergne, Tomme, and Raclette. Unfortunately, we cannot make any blue cheese varieties, as Pencillium Roqueforti is notorius for "infecting" an entire cheese cave and make-room.

As Eurythmices (🐁🐁) once sang: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese, Who am I to diss a brie?"

As a Belgian with French roots i remembered how we went to visit our grandmother in Normandy a few times a year for the holidays. She always prepared us a complete french dinner and after the main course and before the dessert there was always a cheese platter served on one of these round wooden boards with a cheese knife. She always took the time of explaining to us kids which were the 3-5 cheeses she served that day and also instruct us the proper way to cut cheese. Cause yeah for each form a cheese has there is a right and a wrong way to cut them and all hell broke loose if we happened to cut it the wrong way in her presence.

Interesting linguistic note here. The Latin name for Cheese is 'Caseus'. From this word, among others, the English 'Cheese', the Spanish 'Queso', the German Kase, and the Romanian 'Cascaval' names are derived. While, as correctly mentioned in the video, techniques for making hard cheese existed at least since the time of ancient Greece, they were not perfected and widely used until the Roman times. Until then, most cheese types were made of curds, mostly preserved in salt or brine (similar to Feta). During Roman times, hard cheese (in wheels or similar forms) became popular, and was called 'caseus formatus' i.e. 'formed cheese' (from the Greek morfi, meaning form / shape), and later 'formaticum'. From this word the French Fromage and the Italian Formaggio derive.

I really do wonder how half the foods we eat were even discovered in the first place, like making chocolate for example. It's crazy how some of these foods come about

As a professional Dutch cheese salesman, I was impressed by how informative and thorough this video is. I might also be a tiny bit biased. To me, the best cheese in the world is a large model farmhouse Gouda, aged to the point where it has a great savory flavor that lingers. The cheese tingles your tongue, while still feeling smooth in the mouth. I'd invite you all to visit the Netherlands just to get a sample of this supreme type of Gouda. You can return home with as many kilos of it as your luggage limit allows, vacuum sealed in convenient pieces ;)

Cheese is one of the greatest innovations in human history.

Cheese is why I could never ever be vegan.

Thank you for a great video! Just one teensy weensy correction: rennet enzymes (chymosin and pepsin) do not convert lactose into lactic acid. That's done by the lactic acid bacteria in the starter culture (hence their name!). It's a bit confusing because milk coagulates in two ways: either from lactic acid, or from the rennet enzymes. But the curd obtained from lactic acid coagulation is very different from the curd obtained from enzymatic coagulation. The lactic acid curd is crumbly and soft, like yogurt (indeed, that's how yogurt is made). The rennet curd is smooth and shiny and springy, like jell-o. Acid-coagulated milk makes soft cheese, rennet-coagulated milk makes harder cheese. The reason we add a starter culture to milk when making cheese is that rennet enzymes work better in an acidic environment so they set milk faster and stronger in the presence of lactic acid. Another reason is taste, of course, since the lactic acid adds a tanginess that is very pleasant in cheese and they also produce complex aromas as cheese ages. And with that I show myself out booed as a huge cheese nerd by the bored crowd :P

I knew of a Wisconsin couple who went on vacation to Switzerland and bought a round of Swiss Cheese. On their return home they notified their friends that they brought back a "round of true swiss cheese." When they and their friends got together to taste real Swiss Cheese and opened their new round of cheese, it stated inside the wrapper, "Made in Wisconsin."

THAT was fascinating! I love the little models that were used to illustrate points as well, and (as usual) the irreverent delivery from your excellent narrator. Thanks, Weird History!

As a Dutchman, I can say that your Dutch pronunciation of the word Gouda was quite impressive!

Fun fact: Gouda cheese was incredibly well-known because at the time (14th-18th centuries), it was one of the only cheeses around that wouldn't spoil for longer stretches of time (especially the longer matured Gouda cheeses), which made them perfect for long sea voyages.

The bacteria used to make Brie may go exstinct, so in the future, people may not be able to eat Brie! That's so sad since it's my favorite 😢

This new series is fantastic.Really liking the new editing style.

Excellent content 👌 Would love to see the history of lobster and how it went from being a peasant food to paying market price. I do love the crustaceans but the history of how we began eating them is something I would love to see an episode of. That's just me though. Anyway, cheers mates 👍

I work in an artisanal cheese factory, very fun informative video

This dude has voiced so many topics, his knowledge must be legendary! He should go on jeopardy and win a fortune.

Thanks to this video not mentioning paneer or chhena, I went down a rabbit hole of cheese in India. TIL there was a taboo on deliberately curdling milk in Hinduism (not the same as culturing like for dahi/yogurt). Apparently the Portuguese influence on the west coast is what brought about cheese made via acid coagulation (not rennet), and eventually the taboo was lifted. Now we have a whole bunch of sweets based on chhena and when you press and drain chhena you get paneer.

Kraft had a cheese making plant in our city. The original Kraft family was local. In the 1980s, it was the #1most requested parmesan by high ranking French Chefs. Kraft sold the factory to the employees who ran it as long as they could without big business backing. They were forced to sell to Satori Foods who had plans to gain the recipes and shut it down but if they ship the local milk any farther than our cheese plant, the flavor of the milk changes so they had to keep our plant open. Now the plant is known world wide for its artisan cheeses. Yeah, to the local soil, cows and natural vegetation! Our soil also produces high quality potatoes. Our trees once made shoe soles; then later that company switched to making world renown bowling pins.

This channel doesn't disappoint.

Unpasteurized, aged cheeses are the best source of bioavailable vitamin K2. The longer they're aged, the better.

❤ A very tasty and informative video I will share and guard, going back to look at from time to time! Having lived in France for eleven years (being a Swede married to a French woman), cheese is (almost) my religion! Already as a boy in Sweden, I loved cheese, beginning with Swedish cheeses, then cheeses from different countries, not least France. One of my cousins were married to a man who, with his father ran the first company importing French specialities to Sweden, among them, cheese. Almost every holiday he came visiting my mother and me, bringing a plate with French cheeses, with the map of France on it, showing where they were made! Vive le fromage!

A history of ice cream would be cool, if that hasn't been done already.

Weird History: Some people may have actually believed the Moon was made of cheese Wallace and Gromit: *BECAUSE IT IS!* Loved cheese ever since I moved to Switzerland. Cheese is a gift from the gods, and humans are unworthy of tasting its greatness

Very interesting! I make my own Russian style cheese at home, or сыр, and it is really interesting to note the flavour profile difference between raw, organic, and pasteurized milk. One cannot use ultra-pasteurized milk because the protein chains are essentially destroyed or inhibited. the process of making cheese at home is very interesting, and fun, given you understand such processes, and how to essentially fix a mistake. A common mistake in making cheese, I have found, is using tapwater, of which is usually chlorinated, and this water can inhibit the formation of curds. A really easy fix to a non-curding solution, is to add an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, but not too much, and raise the temperature, and generally the curd will separate out of the whey.

Been having a rough few months, and when I say, inwatch every video you guys make within an hour I mean it. I really look forward to weird History! Thanks so much for the quality content, and for making me feel good about myself.

Could you do a segment about mustard? People get as crazy over mustard as olive oil and cheese. I had a Sri Lankan curry with mustard that blew my mind. I love how Weird History includes culture, science and history! Thank you for being the opposite of Dumbing down! BTW the caveman with the cargo pants is hot. Saw him at the beach the other day.

The drawing you see at 0:21 is the cheese market at my home town Alkmaar In the Netherlands, So nice to see our beloved Waag and market included! And im very impressed that you pronounced Gouda right, Wel done!

I am lactose intolerant and I still eat cheese. Damn the consequences!

Weird History pumping out the good stuff.

I really appreciate the fine artisanal cheeses , their complexity in flavors and textures just are something to behold , but there is something about a slice of processed American cheese on a burger that just can’t be replicated for me

My favorite memory of cheese ia a literary one. Treasure Island, when they find the old man who was castaway on a remote island, the first thing he begs them for is, "Do you have any cheese? I dream of cheddars, sir!" Paraphrased, probably. Man, I'm hungry.

For all of us who were mice in our previous lives and would die for a chunk of Brie, this video is of an utmost and tastiest interest. Thank you for posting it. I love the script and narration as well.

I got back in touch with my long lost father today. I thank you for posting this video. Makes my day much better ❤

I'm so happy artisanal cheese has made a come back! So freaking tasty.

Have you guys done a history of Chocolate/cacao beans? I love chocolate and would love to see a history video on it

I LOVE cheese! You made me so hungry talking about brie, cheddars, Parmesan, etc... I was raised in Wisconsin so cheese was a way of life. Where would I be without mozzarella or swiss? I can't imagine... Cheese brings so much joy to my life!

I am happy to see that the images with the statue of the mother wolf feeding Romulus and Remus, are from the Roma Square in Bucharest, Romania. The statue is a tribute to the Latin origins of the Romanians. Bucharest is a beautiful city, with great people. It should be visited. :D

Cheese is literally my favorite thing in this world. This video had been an absolute joy! Weird History always gets deep into the history of it's topic and there's nothing i love more than learning, aside from cheese that is lol

Ironically, my friends and I were talking about this exact same thing 2 days ago

As a chef in rl, I'm so happy to listen to my favorite history topic about food in general

For a silly channel that usually covers topics superficially and humorously, I found this video to be surprisingly thourough and well researched.

Greatest invention of humanity.

I love this channel It's great to learn how things were made, discovered, how people lived, what they wore, etc.

Blue and green cheeses are my favorite. I like the flavor and the crunch. But I enjoy all cheeses, from the dryness hard ones to the soft, stinky ones and everything in between. This was very informative. Thank you!

Suggestion: The history of tacos. Also, the most unusual taco ingredients. Like cow eyes (taco de ojo).

The toddler’s endless tantrum caused the entire plane anxiety.

I love cheese. Straight from the mom and pop shop deli too not these big grocery stores

I'd like to see a video about the domestication of cattle. Aurochs were huge, dangerous, scary beasts yet humans turned them into friendly cows! Whatta story!

He stepped gingerly onto the bridge knowing that enchantment awaited on the other side.

I am Egyptian, I really love your subject and mild sarcastic tone, Mentioning "mild", there is a cily called Damitta, they produce a specific type of cheese which is being exported and consumed locally, done with a couple of corns of mild hot 🌶 Also, we inherited a way of producing a cheese we call it OLD CHEESE as it is aged in a clay jar for months or years! It is vey salty, strong, and full of 🪱, so you have to remove the worms first and then consume it 😁, very delicious and intense!

A Burger isn't a Burger without Cheese

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.

I'm really learning a lot about cheese CHEESE thanks weird history you did say that I was going to enjoy this and you definitely didn't disappoint great job my friend

I stopped buying packaged shredded cheese years ago when I found out about the anti clumping agents. I spend more and spend more time grating it but damn it tastes and melts better!

Cellulose is literally just a type of plant fiber, it exists in plenty of vegetables. It's not bad or anything, it helps you pass food through your system. Sincerly, someone with a health and nutrition education.

Finally!!! The "On Food" series is here! I love cheese.

Now I want to eat a ton of cheese.🧀🧀🧀

Throughout my life I have consistently been enamored of present cheese. It may sound like a complicated name for cheese, but it's perfectly sensible. If Brie is presently on my cheese board, it is the greatest cheese of all time. If, instead, Camembert is presently in front of me and ready to eat, it is the finest cheese known to humanity, far superior to any cheese that is not present and ready to eat. Today it's extra sharp yellow cheddar, the king of all cheeses, having recently de-throned the extra sharp white cheddar which came into prominence after the smoked gouda ran out. Confession: I love all the cheese. To every cheese, there is a season.

The production of this video is just amazinggg

I'm no certified cheese professional, but I do sell cheese as part of my job. Some of my favorites are Capricho de Cabra, Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon, Quadrello di Bufala, Petit Basque, Saint Angel, Kaltbach Le Crémeux, and Shropshire Blue cheese. I always have parmigiano reggiano and feta in brine in the fridge. Capricho de Cabra is super easy for me to snack on alone, with honey or jams, or use on salads, pastas, or eggs. I use Cooper's Hill whenever I make shrimp and grits. And La Tur is a true treat, being a blend of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk. It's super buttery and rich, and a little stinky. It's Italian, but I love pairing it with Spanish membrillo. There's tons I love, and great local cheeses I would list off too, but aren't as widely available. I actually used to eat little to no cheese - I was even vegan for a couple years in my teens. But I have grown to have a love for the history, science, and passion of it. So this video was fun to see.

My fave cheese is Stolwijker, it's a Dutch cheese. Its matured but not dry and the taste is a bit more salty.

Did you hear about the cheese factory that exploded? All that was left was _de-Brie_ Much inventory was lost, it caused a _sharp_ increase in prices. The insurance company had to fork over a lot of _Cheddar._ At first, investigators didn't know _Jack_ but with some _Gouda_ detective work they traced the perpetrator to _Philadelphia._ They knew a Swiss had something to do with it. Their alibi was full of _holes_ I know it's cheesy, but I thought this was _grate_

I literally love this channel. Liked it before I watched cause I know it's gonna be quality content. I love the entire team who works on this channel 👏

Wow, Weird History dropped the ball this time!! How do you talk about the weird history of cheese without talking about Government Cheese? Killing Me Smalls!

I love all types of cheese, except the processed varieties, which I don't consider to be cheese at all.

Here in México there are places where artisanal cheese is still produced. Mexican Cotija cheese is one of my favorites, it tastes like the italian parmesan.

Love the new series!! Very informative, can't wait for more!

Ive watched so long some video ideas get repeated, but the mix of great writting, voice acting, and animations is what keeps me coming back. Excellent channel

22:26 there was no history about cheese in my hometown so I was exposed to it by a book I randomly picked up in elementary school library, which was an introduction of French cheese 🧀 Initially I chose it for less words but fell in love with the imagination of those beautiful cheese 😂 Most of the cheese were available in my hometown and it was impossible to travel abroad. So I was finally able to give it a try a decade later and surprisingly found I, unlike other people in my country, do like the flavor of cheese, even blue cheese! Hope I can try all kinds of the cheese on the book one day !

I love cheese!!!! Especially on my pizza! 🧀🍕

Dang!!! I was actually eating cheese when he said, "you're probably eating cheese in this moment." 🤭 I love cheese and will probably die from eating cheese (I don't care)... You guys Rock!!! 🤘🏼

14:02 this Van Gogh painting is called “The potato eaters”. It’s depicting Dutch peasants eating potatoes and not cheese.

"Blessed are the cheesemakers" -Jesus

The mild kind I thought came from Ireland until today. Thanks! They say you learn a new thing every day!

19:50 oh man the feels I really miss Anthony Bourdain

It's so odd how interesting learning about cheese is

I always imagined the process of inventing cheese must have been really bizarre because just the idea of drinking a random other animal's breastmilk is so odd in isolation, let alone letting it go solid and then eating it, but I guess it makes more sense when you are living with those animals and are intimately involved in farming and food production.

As Lionel Ritcheese once sang: "Hello, is it brie you're looking for?"

Honey 🍯 the history of Honey please ( I did a paper on it in culinary school and there's more to the history of it than you would think 🤗) THANK YOU

I like history and I like food. It doesn’t get much better than cheese, wine, beer, whiskey, for people who like food and history! Fantastic video! I’ve been wanting to learn more about cheese for a while and this video was very palatable! I suppose I should include bread but I take it for granted I suppose. My wife can’t eat gluten, and good bread isn’t so easy to acquire where I live, but I do like some good bread!

Behold the power of cheese.

Also, this may be when of the best videos you all have ever produced. The complexity, detail, and creativity is just amazing. You really went above and beyond here.

Since you asked, my favorite cheese is cheddar. Recently, I'd been experimenting with cheese making. So far have made ricotta, feta, and spread. (Update: And mozzarella, although I couldn't find buffalo milk, so I used cow milk.)

I realized that during watching this video, I ate one little ball pf wet Mozzarella, one Camembert and one President Aromatique. We often travel to Austria or Italian Süd Tirol and always bring some cheese with us. The way they make cheese there is very unique, but something tells you it is the only way to keep producing authentic cheeses.

I was in Saudi, and they used to hang milk in dried goat stomachs. It was pretty intense but good. I used to carry goat whey with oatmeal powder when I would be overseas. I learned that from studying Mongolians, who destroyed the empires of the world that were dependent on grains.

As a professional Kraft singles salesman; it is very informative.

This was very informative.. I hope you pair with tasting history in the future. And make simple cheeses.

Yeah I totally admit that half way through this video I made some cheese on toast and the bread burnt a bit because I carried on watching. I freaking love cheese!! Brilliant video!

In the Netherlands farmers cheese are popular right now. It's non pasturized cheese locally made. They are in many varieties from regular to all kinds of additives that you would not expect in cheese. I love them so much. I love to cook so I use Parmezano reggiano a lot too, brie, etc. Bon appetit.

I like cheese but glad we have options that do not smell like rotten feet. 🤣

Awesome content, endless entertainment. Thanks for the great work.

I once counted 14 different cheeses in my fridge at one time. I like so many! Thank goodness for lactiad pills.

I think it would be interesting to see the evolution of food, fx how certain vegetables and fruits changed during the ages. Also, I loved the video, great content 😄

This show is better than some of the cable produced shows!

Now I'm hungry for some cheese. I've got Swiss in the refrigerator, but I sure could go for some Gorgonzola. 😁🧀😋

My wish has come true! I've always been fascinated by the history of food! 💖