
The cheese industry moved from homes, farms and small shops to factories on February 3, 1815 with the establishment of the first Swiss cheese factory in the town of Bern.
This date was a turning point in the cheese industry in Switzerland, which has been famous for its cheeses for centuries, although this production was previously limited and irregular.
The scope of cheese production began to expand with the establishment of the first commercial cheese factory by the Swiss entrepreneur Rudolf Emanuel von Ciesen. The aim of the step was to produce cheese in large quantities and export it to foreign markets, especially with the increasing demand in Europe for Swiss cheese.
After the opening of the first factory in the world, the cheese industry in Switzerland developed and its fame increased worldwide. The success of this factory also led to the construction of cheese industrial units in different regions of the country, which contributed to strengthening the local economy and turning cheese into an export commodity, and laying the foundation for the modern cheese industry.
There are a large number of cheeses in the world with different tastes and shapes. In France, there are more than 500 types, and in Switzerland, there are about 450 types.
What is very interesting is not only the abundance of cheese varieties in the world, but also the strangeness of some types in the ingredients, production method and flavor.
Cheese with amazing flavors and ingredients:
Among the types of cheese that amaze those who do not know it with their strangeness, is an Italian one called "Casu Marzu", also known as "worm cheese".
This variety is famous for its production on the island of Sardinia, and it is made in a way that some may find objectionable, as pieces of cheese are deliberately left to rot, which attracts cheese flies that lay their eggs in it. The larvae hatch and feed on the cheese, giving the gene a special composition and strong flavour. This type of cheese is banned in some countries due to health concerns.
Another type of cheese called "foot cheese" is native to Britain, and it has a very strong smell similar to the smell of feet. This cheese is washed with fermented pear juice, which gives it a distinctive smell and flavour.
A similar type of cheese is the German "Milpenkasse" cheese, also known as moth cheese. This type is produced using cheese moths that are left to feed on a mixture of cheese and spices. The moths give the product a distinctive flavour and dry texture.
Mouse cheese, produced in Serbia, is considered one of the most expensive cheeses in the world. It is made from donkey milk and is produced in a nature reserve in this country. It takes about 25 litres of donkey milk to produce one kilogram of this cheese.
Another strange cheese is called "Blue Milk Cheese" and is actually produced in Britain from rare blue milk, produced by cows with a genetic mutation that gives it this color. This variety is characterized by its unique color and pungent flavor.
Another cheese that is not without strangeness is known as "charcoal cheese", and it comes from the Netherlands. This type is produced by adding charcoal to the cheese during the manufacturing process, which gives it a distinctive black color. The black color of this cheese is not only for decoration and to attract attention, because the charcoal helps the digestion process.
There is another unusual cheese in France called "red mold cheese". This type is washed with water mixed with brandy, which leads to the formation of a layer of red mold on its surface. This cheese is characterized by a very strong smell and a pungent flavor.
The last strange cheese may shock everyone, because it is made from human milk. This type was produced experimentally in several countries using the milk of breastfeeding mothers. Naturally, there was a great deal of controversy around it for ethical reasons.
All these cheeses reflect the diversity of cultures and tastes, including those that are strange in their ingredients and flavour, making cheese a vast world full of amazing surprises. Such a journey in the world of cheese begins if one has the opportunity to taste unknown varieties far from traditional cheeses.
Source: RT - https://ar.rt.com/z7on - Published on 2-2-2025
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