The thrill of the cheese

European cheese has a long and varied history, rumoured to have been around since the Roman empire. Photos: The Star/Raymond Ooi

Legend has it that cheese was inadvertently invented by an Arabian merchant who put milk in a sheep’s stomach pouch. Imagine his astonishment when he discovered later that night that the milk had separated into curd (solid) and whey (liquid) caused by the enzymes found in the stomachs of milk-fed animals (rennet).

Whether the legend is true or not, cheese has flourished since ancient times.