The Cheese We Eat

"Cheese sticks, cheese lasagna, cheesecake, cheese and broccoli, cheeseburger, cheese quiche, cheese omelet, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, blue cheese, parmesan cheese, ..."  the list goes on and on.  However, despite the abundance of cheese in the food we eat it often goes unnoticed.  Cheese is an under rated food that deserves more recognition than it gets.  Cheese is a food that has been around for years, it is very abundant, and above all, cheese is a healthy food. It is one of the most nutritious food products available to us.

Cheese is now produced on a large scale in highly mechanized factories.  The factories bought mass production to the cheese industry, this mass production made cheese an abundant food product that became available in supermarkets all over the world.  Before the mechanical age began cheese was mostly produced in the farmhouse.  The farmer would milk his cows and use some of the extra milk to make cheese.  This way none of the valuable nutrient was wasted, since milk cannot be stored and cheese can.  The oldest cheese making artifacts found date back from 2000 BC.  It is thought that man stumbled on cheese accidentally.  It would have been produced when milk being carried in the stomachs of cows reacted with enzymes in the wall of the dead animals stomach.  This reaction would produce a cheese like curd.

It is the production of cheese in so many regions of the world that created so many different varieties of cheese.  It impossible to state the number of named varieties of cheese in the world because new names are constantly being introduced.  Most cheeses are named after a town or region.  Probably the most famous cheese name, cheddar, come from a small town in England.  The variables involved in making cheese are very important.  Everything down to atmospheric pressure could create a new variety of cheese.  Not only is there so many different varieties of cheese all these different varieties can be used in many different ways.  Cheese can be eaten by itself or with something else, however it is eaten it acts as great addition to any meal.  The dairy producers cheese campaign sums it up best, "You've got cheese, You've got choice".  The possibilities are limitless.

Despite all the positive aspects of cheese, some people still try to put it down.  They say it is high in fat, which is unhealthy and can lead to a high cholesterol.  Sure I agree some cheeses are high in fat but not all are.  Even those that are when eaten in moderation they do  little harm.  Our bodies need fat.  Fat acts as an insulator and protects our body.  There is also a large amount of nutrients in cheese that are essential for our bodies.  In a 100 gram serving of cheese 36 % of the protein, 80 % of the calcium, and only 34 % of the fat doctors recommend we consume daily are found.  Cheese is also a good source of many other vitamins and minerals.  Because cheese has such a high protein level it acts as a great substitute for meat in a vegetarian's diet.  It is also particularly good for children.

It is easy to see the benefits of cheese.  It is easy to make and comes in many different tastes, and on top of that it is also beneficial nutritionally.  In today's society cheese is highly under rated.  Cheese is a universal food, it is made and eaten all over the world.