cheese

WTF Fun Fact 13204 – Types of Cheese in the World

Believe it or not, there are over 1,800 types of cheese in the world. Cheese.com actually has a catalog of 1,830 cheeses you can search!

How can there be so many cheeses in the world?

There are so many types of cheese in the world because cheese-making is an ancient craft. Humans have been making cheese for thousands of years in many different cultures and regions. The process of making cheese is relatively simple. It only requires milk, cultures, rennet, and salt. But there are many variations on this basic recipe.

Different types of milk, cultures, rennet, aging, and processing methods result in a wide variety of textures and flavors.

Additionally, different regions have developed their own unique cheeses based on the availability of milk and the local culture and traditions. The use of different herbs, spices, and other ingredients also contributes to the diversity of cheese.

Additionally, the development of new technology and techniques in cheesemaking also allows cheese makers to experiment and create new types of cheese.

What are the different types of cheese?

We can make cheese from the milk of various animals, including cows, goats, sheep, and buffalo, and it comes in a wide variety of textures and flavors.

Some types of cheese, such as cheddar and gouda, can be aged for several years, which gives them a sharper flavor and a harder texture. Other types, such as feta and brie, are typically aged for a shorter period of time and have a softer texture and a milder flavor.

According to Wisconsin Cheese (cited below): “Many different types of cheese are named after or associated with the place they were first made. Parmesan cheese, for example, originates from the area around Parma, Italy. Gouda was first traded in the Dutch town of Gouda. And cheddar cheese originated in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset.”

— WTF fun facts

Source: “Different types of cheese” — Wisconsin Cheese

WTF Fun Fact 12608 – Predicting the Future With Cheese

While the practice itself is not recorded in detail, at least one ancient source – Artemidorus of Daldis – refers to the practice of tyromancy, or predicting the future using cheese.

Humans have used all sorts of strange objects to try and read the future, including bones, tea leaves, and animal entrails. But we have to admit that cheese divination is new to us.

According to Mental Floss, the only recorded reference to tyromancy in the ancient world is from a skeptic, “the Greek diviner Artemidorus.” While he believed in divination, he “did not feel that cheese divination was very reliable, and included cheese diviners among his list of ‘false diviners,’ alongside dice diviners, sieve-diviners, and necromancers. (The interpretation of dreams and livers was far more dependable, he felt.)”

The practice of tyromancy involved reading the meaning of holes in a piece of cheese. In some cases, women would write the names of men on pieces of cheese, and the first to mold was thought to predict their ideal mate.

While there is scarce evidence for its practice, Ohio History Connection, a non-profit history organization, says:

“Tyromancy is the ancient art of divining the future through cheese, and has been used by various cultures around the world for centuries. By the 19th century, tyromancers would offer visitors a platter of different cheeses and determine their path based on which piece they were drawn to.”

Tyromancy is not the only cheese-based divination method. According to Interesly:

“Another method of Tyromancy was to write the possible answers to a question on separate pieces of cheese and then place them inside a cage along with a hungry rodent. Whichever piece the mouse ate first was the correct answer. This manner of divination was also a form of Myomancy.”

Frankly, we don’t expect to predict the future with cheese, but we’re not opposed to buying more cheese just in case. – WTF fun facts

Source: “Witchy Wheys: Cast Spells and Predict the Future with Cheese Witchy Wheys: Cast Spells and Predict the Future with Cheese” — culture