The discovery of Cheese is a narrative at least 8,000 years old, dating back to the Neolithic era.
And today we have unprecedented insight into the microbial complexity of cheese, thanks to advances in molecular biology, whole-genome sequencing technolog.
The blooms, veins, sticky surfaces, gooey interiors, crystals, wrinkles, strings, and yes, for some, the odors of Cheese are all due to microbial action and growth.
The Companion also reflects a fascination with the microbiology and chemistry of cheese, featuring entries on bacteria, molds, yeasts, cultures, and coagulants used in cheesemaking and Cheese maturing.
Regional entries on places with a strong history of Cheese production, biographies of influential cheesemakers, innovative and influential Cheese shops, and historical entries on topics like manorial cheesemaking and Cheese in children's literature round out the Companion's eclectic cultural coverage.
There are entries on animal species whose milk is commonly (cow, goat, sheep) and not so commonly (think yak, camel, and reindeer) used in cheesemaking, as well as entries on a few highly important breeds within each species, such as the Nubian goat or the Holstein cow.
The concentrated whey cheeses popular in Norway, brunost, are covered here, as are the traditional Turkish and Iranian cheeses that are ripened in casings prepared from sheep's or goat's skin.
From cottage Cheese to Camembert, from Gorgonzola to Gruyere, there are entries on all of the major Cheese varieties globally, but also many cheeses that are not well known outside of their region of production.
The Oxford Companion to Cheese is the first major reference work dedicated to cheese, containing 855 A-Z entries on Cheese history, culture, science, and production.
In fact, after a long period of industrialized, processed, and standardized cheese, cheesemakers, cheesemongers, affineurs, and most of all consumers are rediscovering the endless variety of cheeses across cultures.
Yet, after all of these thousands of years we are still finding new ways to combine the same four basic ingredients - milk, bacteria, salt, and enzymes - into new and exciting products with vastly different shapes, sizes, and colors, and equally complex and varied tastes, textures, and, yes, aromas.
The discovery of Cheese is a narrative at least 8,000 years old, dating back to the Neolithic era
