Praise for Cheese and Culture “In this painstakingly researched yet passion-laced book, Paul Kindstedt shows us how cheese, from its rudimentary beginnings to today’s manufacturing, is inextricably linked to culture and, no less, to our future. Cheese and Culture is essential reading for anyone who loves cheese and, equally, cares about the future of food itself.” —Laura Werlin, author, Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials “All honor and respect to Aristaeus—the Greek god who taught us to make cheese—and to Paul Kindstedt, who in Cheese and Culture teaches us its glorious history ever since.” —Rob Kaufelt, proprietor, Murray’s Cheese NYC “From the Garden of Eden to the dairy industries of today, Paul S. Kindstedt unfolds the monumental story of cheese. Vast in scope, rich in detail, Cheese and Culture is a casein-inspired epic.” —Eric LeMay, author, Immortal Milk “Cheese and Culture is the book both cheese professionals and cheese geeks have been waiting for. Professor Kindstedt gives us the mostly untold history of cheese and its societal import from 6500 bc to the present, answering all my cheese questions—even the ones I didn’t know I had. Cheese and Culture is the most comprehensive cheese book ever written by an American, a great addition to our collective cheese library.” —Gordon Edgar, cheese buyer, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, and author, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge “This book will fascinate anyone who loves cheese. With a sweeping perspective, from the earliest prehistoric domestication of goats and sheep to the present, it chronicles how social, technological, and political developments gave rise to the vast array of cheeses we know and love.” —Sandor Ellix Katz, author, The Art of Fermentation, The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, and Wild Fermentation “Given the vast amount that’s been written about cheese down the centuries, the surprising absence of a scholarly work on the history of cheese is all the more remarkable. With Cheese and Culture, noted dairy scientist and author Paul Kindstedt has admirably filled this gap to an extent that should satisfy even the most avid cheese geek.” —Kate Arding, cofounder, Culture magazine “No cheese lover or cheesemaker’s education will be complete without reading of the epic journey of cheese as it influences and is influenced by human civilization. Paul Kindstedt steers the reader through a vast sea of history with the steady, inspired hand and confidence of a seasoned captain of his subject. What a gift to the world of cheese!” —Gianaclis Caldwell, cheesemaker, Pholia Farm, and author, The Farmstead Creamery Advisor “Paul Kindstedt has fashioned a remarkable book about one of humankind’s most distinctive foods. Drawing upon comprehensive evidence from archaeology to contemporary artisan cheese making, Dr. Kindstedt shapes the complex story of cheese. He examines the impact of geography and climate, religion, social status and wealth, transportation and commerce . . . to describe and explain the 8,500-year evolution of cheese from Neolithic humans to present-day America. From archaeologists and anthropologists and historians to cheesemakers and consumers who want to deepen their understanding and appreciation of cheese, Dr. Kindstedt’s book will enlighten, entertain, and reveal the fascinating history and culture of cheese. Bravissimi e complimenti!” —Jeffrey Roberts, New England Culinary Institute and author, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese “I love this book—accessible in its prose and style with the breadth and depth of an academic work. All those interested in the role that cheesemaking has played in the development of the world we live in will come away after reading this book with context and understanding, and an intellectual appreciation of why cheese appeals to so many people at an emotional level. Paul Kindstedt has produced a seminal work in Cheese and Culture.” —Mateo Kehler, cheesemaker, Jasper Hill Farm “Dr. Kindstedt’s love and passion for the artisan cheese movement is inspiring. In his latest book, he has presented a beautiful and historically rich mosaic of the history of cheese on our little green planet. With reference to the past, and detailed attention paid to the present, as well as extrospection for the future, Dr. Kindstedt has created an amalgamation of artisan cheese reference the like of which has not been attempted before.” —Matt Jennings, co-owner/executive chef, Farmstead/La Laiterie “Only a true scholar could weave together the complexity of history, anthropology, language, geography, religion, and science to inform and enlighten our understanding of the evolution of cheese making throughout the millennia. Kindstedt, first and foremost with his discerning scientific mind, helps historians inform the heretofore mysteries in the cheesemaking continuum.” —Catherine Donnelly, PhD, codirector, Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese CHEESE and CULTURE CHEESE and CULTURE A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization PAUL S. KINDSTEDT Chelsea Green Publishing White River Junction, Vermont Copyright © 2012 by Paul S. Kindstedt. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. ® Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION , copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by the International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires permission of the International Bible Society. Cover painting by Clara Peeters (Flanders, Antwerp, circa 1594–after 1639/before 1657) Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries, circa 1625 3 1 Painting, oil on wood, 18 ⁄ × 13 ⁄ in. (46.67 × 33.34 cm) 8 8 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Carter (M.2003.108.8) European Painting and Sculpture Department. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, U.S.A. Digital Image © 2012 Museum Associates/LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY Project Manager: Patricia Stone Editorial Contact: Ben Watson Copy Editor: Laura Jorstad Proofreader: Ellen Brownstein Indexer: Lee Lawton Designer: Peter Holm, Sterling Hill Productions Printed in the United States of America First printing March, 2012 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 13 14 15 16 Our Commitment to Green Publishing Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise in the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because it was printed on paper that contains recycled fiber, and we hope you’ll agree that it’s worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative (www.greenpressinitiative.org), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the ® world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Cheese and Culture was printed on FSC -certified paper supplied by Thomson-Shore that contains at least 30% postconsumer recycled fiber. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kindstedt, Paul. Cheese and culture : a history of cheese and its place in western civilization / Paul Kindstedt. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-60358-411-1 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-60358-412-8 (ebook) 1. Cheese—History. 2. Cheese making—History. 3. Cooking (Cheese)—History. 4. Cheese industry—History. 5. Civilization, Western—History. I. Title. SF270.4.K56 2012 637'.309--dc23 2011047819 Chelsea Green Publishing 85 North Main Street, Suite 120 White River Junction, VT 05001 (802) 295-6300 www.chelseagreen.com DEDICATION To my parents, Ed and Amy Kindstedt, who fought the good fight and remained faithful to the end. CONTENTS Preface Introduction 1 | Southwest Asia and the Ancient Origins of Cheese 2 | Cheese, Religion, and the Cradle of Civilization 3 | Bronze, Rennet, and the Ascendancy of Trade 4 | Greece, Cheese, and the Mediterranean Miracle 5 | Caesar, Christ, and Systematic Cheese Making 6 | The Manor, the Monastery, and the Age of Cheese Diversification 7 | England, Holland, and the Rise of Market-Driven Cheese Making 8 | The Puritans, the Factory, and the Demise of Traditional Cheese Making 9 | The Cultural Legacy of Cheese Making in the Old and New Worlds Acknowledgments Bibliography PREFACE T en years ago I took a sabbatical leave to write a book that I hoped would become a useful resource for the new generation of artisan cheesemakers that had recently taken America by storm. Although the primary goal of American Farmstead Cheese was to distill the complex science of cheese making down to accessible, user-friendly principles for artisan cheesemakers, I also decided to include a couple of chapters on cheese history to provide context for the amazing rebirth of farmstead cheese making in America. Four months into my sabbatical I found myself still working on the two history chapters and realized with growing alarm that I could easily spend the entire year working on chapters 1 and 2. The material was so captivating that I resolved then and there to eventually resume the historical research and develop an undergraduate course at the University of Vermont that would integrate cheese science and technology into the interpretation of cheese history. That course, Cheese and Culture, was first piloted in 2005. Student reaction was immediately positive, and I continued to teach and refine the course over the next couple of years, finalizing it as a permanent offering in 2008. Around this same time, I found myself increasingly involved with far-reaching policy issues relating to cheese safety regulations (especially raw-milk cheese safety), intellectual property rights pertinent to traditional cheese names, and the role that public values should (or shouldn’t) play in the shaping of our food system, regulations, and policies. Many of these issues were being played out at the international level under free-trade agreements, and I was particularly struck by the gulf that exists between US policies and those of the European Union on a whole range of food and agricultural issues. I also was struck by the different trajectories that cheese history has followed in United States as compared with the EU. It seemed that cheese history could provide useful insight into the origins of some of the great international policy disputes that have arisen over cheese and food more broadly. This, too, became an element of Cheese and Culture.