A History of Cheesemaking Cheese has long been used as a way of preserving the goodness of milk. The birth of cheese dates back to neolithic times when herdsmen began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals. It is said that a horeseman on a long journey took his ration of milk in a travelling bag made from the stomach of a young animal. When the time came to eat , the traveller discovered that his milk had curdled and separated into softish lumps and whey. The ancients considered cheese to be a precious commodity, a currency of exchange and a symbol of social rank and high quality of life. Cheese was found in Egyptian tombs, is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, and was described in detail in Roman writings. Dairy farming eventually spread to the Alps, and cheese production was introduced in Switzerland where it has enjoyed a long and prosperous existence. Brie, Munster and Roquefort were first produced in the 7th century. Monls were the first highly qualified cheesemakers who developed and perfected precise, delicate techniques for cheesemaking (11th century). In the 15th century, Parmesan was made in Italy, and in the 16th Century, Chesire cheese was made in England. In 1541, Jacques Cartier brought cattle to Acadie on his third and last voyage. A document dating back to 1764 stated that Nova Scotia exported six tons of cheese. The United Empire Loyalists brought the recipe for Cheddar cheese with them, the name being taken from an English village. In the 19th century, Louis Pasteur's research led to the process of pasteurization which had a profound effect on cheesemaking. Canada was one of the first countries to apply strict standards of hygiene to the production of milk and cheese. Cheese factories sprung up in Noca Scotia and New Brunswick in the 1870's, and from 1812 on, the craft was well known along the Red River in Manitoba Today's cheese factories are models of cleanliness and efficiency. Sources: "Cheesemaking Made Easy" By Ricki and Robert Carroll, Storey Communications Inc. 1982 "Fundamentals of Canadian Cheese and Their Use in Fine Cuisine", Les Editions de la Cheneliere., 1992.