World’s Oldest Preserved Cheese Origins Revealed

The world’s oldest preserved cheese…arranged like jewelry…in the form of a dairy necklace grave good? A new discovery ticks all these boxes and is from Tarim Basin in northwestern China. For at least three people buried 3,600 years ago in Xinjiang, the question of what they want to carry into their afterlife seems clear: they chose cheese! These ancient individuals were buried with small lumps of fermented dairy, arranged around their necks.

An Unusual Grave Good, A Preservation Exquisite

These lumps are now recognized as the world’s oldest preserved cheese. Not only has the cheese been remarkably well-preserved, but new research is revealing its secrets, offering insights into ancient human culture and the spread of dairying practices across Asia. A new study published in the journal Cell provides fresh genetic analysis of these cheese chunks, along with other interesting information from the ancient world.

The information primarily emerges from the burial of a young woman, whose preservation was enabled by the dry desert climate and her sealed coffin. When archaeologists unearthed her grave in 2003, they found her remains: she was still dressed in a felt hat, a tasseled wool coat, and fur-lined leather boots, and unusually, pieces of cheese arranged like a necklace around her neck.

The mummified Tarim Basin girl, with the position of the cheese lumps marked.  (Liu, Yichen et al./Cell)

Cheesing it Up: A Storied History

This cheese is now considered the oldest in the world, according to Qiaomei Fu, a paleogeneticist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Fu led the study which analyzed the genetic material from the cheese and the microbes within it, providing new insights into ancient cheese-making techniques.

“This is the oldest known cheese sample ever discovered in the world. Food items like cheese are extremely difficult to preserve over thousands of years, making this a rare and valuable opportunity. Studying the ancient cheese in great detail can help us better understand our ancestors’ diet and culture,” explained Dr. Fu in a press release.

While older traces of dairy have been found, such as residues on pottery, these lumps are unique as they are solid, curd-like pieces you can physically hold.

Humanity’s relationship with cheese stretches back millennia. Scientists have previously identified fatty residues from around 7,000 years ago on pottery that likely held cheese, and 4,000-year-old Sumerian texts reference the dairy product. But the Tarim Basin samples represent the oldest confirmed examples of actual cheese.

Dr. Fu and her team collected samples of the cheese found around the necks of three mummies from the Tarim Basin. By isolating fragments of ancient DNA, they compared these with genomes from modern animals and cheese-making microbes. Their analysis revealed traces of cow and goat DNA, suggesting that milk from both animals was used in the production of the ancient cheese. They also identified the DNA of the microbes responsible for fermenting the milk.

Two of the kefir cheese samples. (Liu, Yichen et al./Cell)

Kefir Cheese: Traversing Through Nomadic Groups

The researchers discovered species of bacteria and yeast that form kefir grains—tiny clumps used to ferment milk into yogurt-like kefir and soft, sour kefir cheese, reports The New York Times. Kefir cheese is a fermented dairy product made using bacteria, yeast, and fungal complexes, much like modern kefir. This type of cheese is created with kefir grains, which ferment milk without the rennet typically used in European cheese-making.

The study also revealed that the cheese around the mummies’ necks came from both cow and goat milk, the latter from a type of goat common across Eurasia during the Bronze Age. Additionally, the DNA analysis showed that the microbes used in the cheese-making process were genetically similar to those found in modern Tibetan dairy products and strains of kefir from East Asia.

This suggests that kefir-making may have had two distinct geographic origins: one in Xinjiang and another in the Caucasus. In fact, it was likely that the spread of kefir microbes likely followed the movements of nomadic groups across the Eurasian steppe. As these people migrated, they traded goods, including milk products and the containers that stored them, leaving a trail of dairy fermentation practices that continues in modern times. In Xinjiang, for instance, dairy foods and beverages are still a dietary staple.

The Xiaohe cemetery, where the mummies and cheese were found, has a fascinating geographic and environmental history. Once a fertile area by a river, the changing course of the water forced the community to move, leaving the surrounding desert to encroach on the land. The rapid shift in climate helped naturally mummify the bodies, preserving their hair, skin, clothing, and, of course, their ancient cheese, reports The New Scientist.

For Dr. Fu, identifying the microbes used in the cheese-making process was “really, really exciting” because these practices can reveal important information about the lives and interactions of ancient peoples. The presence of cheese in burial sites suggests it was highly valued, while the use of multiple milk sources and specific bacteria hints at potential cultural exchanges between the people of the Tarim Basin, the Xiaohe culture, and others from the Eurasian steppe.

Though it may have been treasured, tasting the ancient cheese might not have been a pleasant experience. In the 1930s, archaeologists sampled cheese found in an Egyptian tomb, and a 1942 paper noted that it had “no smell and only a dusty taste.” Nevertheless, Dr. Fu and her team are excited to attempt a recreation of the ancient cheese based on their findings. “I think next step, we should make it,” she concluded.

Top image: A photo of one of the mummies from the Xiaohe cemetery, with the kefir samples (highlighted with red triangles) scattered around the neck of the mummy. Source: Liu, Yichen et al./Cell

By Sahir Pandey