Some Interesting Facts About Cheese

Cheese is one of the most loved and consumed food around the world. It is a general term which is used to describe various milk based products. Here are some of the facts that you probably didn’t know about cheese.

Fact 1
There is no exact information regarding the origin of cheese however archaeological studies have shown that the origin of cheese dates back as far as 6000 BC. Studies also show that during that era cheese was made from cow’s milk and goats in Mesopotamia.

Fact 2
There are more than 2000 verities of cheese available worldwide however Mozzarella cheese is the favourite variety of cheese around the globe. It is the most consumed variety also.

Fact 3
People of Greece are the largest consumers of cheese worldwide. An average person from Greece consumes around 27.3 kg of cheese every year about ¾ of which is feta cheese.

Fact 4
Pizza hut is the largest cheese using fast food giant and it uses approximately 300 million pounds of cheese every year. They mostly use mozzarella cheese in their pizzas.

Fact 5
Cheese production around the globe is more than the combined worldwide production of coffee, tobacco, tea and cocoa beans.

Fact 6
The first cheese factory was established in Switzerland in the year 1815 however the successful mass level production began in 1851 in United States.

Fact 7
Contrary to the popular belief, cheese if eaten in moderate quantity can become an excellent source of protein, calcium and phosphorus. It’s over saturated fat content is responsible for earning its bad reputation.

Fact 8
In the United States the month of June is regarded as national dairy month and the last week of june is national cheese week.

Fact 9
Cheese can be produced using a variety of milks. The milk used fro production of cheese may come from cow, buffalo, goat, horse and even camel in some countries.

Fact 10
Ever thought about the quantity of cheese produced worldwide? The figures may surprise you but a whopping twenty million metric tons of cheese is produced worldwide every year and the production is increasing with the growing demand.

Fact 11
Approximately 10 pounds of milk is required to make one pound of cheese. If cheese wouldn’t have been there, a lot of milk would have been wasted globally.

Fact 12
Just like alcohol, cheese is also kept for a particular period of time before it is served for consumption. Some varieties of cheese such as blue cheese, gorgonzola, brie, etc are exposed to mold which helps them in aging.

Fact 13
During the era of Roman Empire, large roman houses had separate kitchens for manufacturing cheese only, they were called careale.

Fact 14
Some varieties of cheese such as mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss and American are capable of avoiding tooth decay. It promotes the flow of saliva in the mouth which leads to elimination of sugar and acids from the mouth.

Fact 15
Another benefit associated with cheese is that it helps protecting tooth enamel and has an antibacterial effect. If consumed in moderate quantities it has various health benefits.

Source- http://www.doyouknowgk.com/2013/03/interesting-facts-about-cheese.html
Source- http://listverse.com/2009/09/18/top-10-fascinating-facts-about-cheese/
Source- http://www.10-facts-about.com/Cheese/id/44
Source- http://www.express.co.uk/fun/top10facts/427952/Top-10-facts-about-cheese