The Milky Way

Archeologists in China recently discovered the world’s oldest preserved cheese, a finding that provided new clues about how cheese-making developed and how ancient cultures preserved food.

In 2003, researchers excavated a tomb at the Xiaohe Cemetery in northwestern China dating back some 3,600 years ago during the Bronze Age.

The grave included well-preserved remains of a woman and a number of items, including extremely old cheese that was placed along her neck as a necklace.

“This is the oldest known cheese sample ever discovered in the world.” Qiaomei Fu, a co-author of a new study on the cheese, said in a press release.

In their paper, Fu and her colleagues explained that the dairy sample was kefir cheese, a type made from the fermentation of milk using kefir grains. DNA analysis also showed the use of goat and cow milk in the cheese-making process.

The researchers noted that the food’s presence in the grave hints that it held some cultural importance for the Xiaohe people.

While the Xiaohe were actually lactose intolerant, the team said that the fermentation process in cheese-making significantly reduces the lactose levels. This allowed them to consume it and include dairy as part of their diet – minus the need for refrigeration or pasteurization.

Still, the findings also show new insights about the spread of cheese-making and kefir: While previous studies suggested kefir culture originated in the Caucasus, this new research shows that kefir spread not only to Europe but also took a different route towards inland Asia, including Xinjiang and Tibet.

It also showed how the bacteria found in kefir, such as Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, evolved alongside human activities. These microorganisms, which would previously trigger immune responses, also adapted.

“They are also good for the immune system and for producing antibodies,” Fu told NBC News. “We can see at some point it adapted to humans.”

The study provides some rare insight into the prehistoric cheese-making practices that likely began thousands of years earlier. Kefir and cheese production techniques helped extend the shelf life of milk, which was a crucial innovation for ancient civilizations.

Even so, Fu quickly dismissed the suggestion that the millennia-old product was still edible.

“No way,” she told NBC when asked if she would try it.