“The origin of cheese and cheesemaking is unknown. The practice is closely related to the domestication of milk producing animals; primarily sheep, which began 8- 10,000 years ago. Cheesemaking is often referenced in ancient Greek mythology and evidence of cheese and cheesemaking has been found on Egyptian tomb murals dating back over 4000 years. Cheese may have been discovered accidentally by the practice of storing milk in containers made out from the stomachs of the animals. Rennet, an enzyme found in a stomach of ruminant animals, would cause the milk to coagulate, separating the curds and whey. Another possible origin story is stemmed from the practice of salting curdled milk for preservation purposes. Another possible origin story is the addition of fruit juices to milk which would result in curdling the milk using the acid from the fruit juice. By 100 BC, cheesemaking was a widespread phenomenon throughout Europe and the Middle East. During Julius Caesar’s reign, there were hundreds of varieties of cheese being produced and traded throughout the empire. The Roman influence was shown through documentation and trial and error.  By 1615 BC, there is an introduction of cheese to Asia.  However, there was evidence of cheese called “rushan” that was produced in China during the Ming Dynasty. By the 17th century, cheese was produced in America when English Puritan dairy farmers brought their knowledge of dairy farming and cheesemaking with them from the Old World to the New English colonies.” (National Historic Cheesemaking Center)