We take a global tour of cheese—from ancient roots across Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East to today’s astonishing variety. We unpack six levers of cheese diversity: origin of the milk and what the animal eats, pasteurization, butterfat, microbes, processing, and aging—and show how tiny microbes do the heavy lifting of flavor. Along the way we explore standout examples: Serbia’s donkey-milk peel cheese, Rubing from Yunnan’s Bai and Sani, Mauritania’s caravan cheese made from camel milk, and Midwest squeaky cheese, whose freshness is betrayed by its famous squeak. We’ll see how color, texture, and aroma are engineered by human craft and microbial collaboration, revealing cheese as a shared cultural and biological achievement. 

Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.

Sponsored by Embersilk LLC