The title of “world’s oldest cheese” has been claimed by a surprising source: a cheesy substance found on 3,600-year-old mummies in China’s Tarim Basin. This discovery surpasses the previous record holder, cheese found in the tomb of an Ancient Egyptian mayor, by several centuries, and necessitates an update to the Guinness World Records.
The cheese was discovered on mummies buried in the Xiaohe Cemetery, located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The remains, remarkably preserved within boat coffins amidst vast sand dunes, date back to a period spanning from 2,000 BCE to around 200 CE.
The cheese itself is identified as kefir cheese, a fermented dairy product created using yeast and probiotic bacteria to separate curd and whey. While researchers initially suspected the presence of a fermented dairy product decades ago, recent advancements in DNA analysis have confirmed their suspicions. The study, published in Cell, details the extraction of ancient cow and goat DNA from the cheese, solidifying its identity and age.
“This is the oldest known cheese sample ever discovered in the world,” stated Qiaomei Fu, a paleogeneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, in a Cell press release.
A mummy from the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.Ancient Mummy Discovered in Xinjiang’s Tarim Basin, Showing Traces of Kefir Cheese. Photo: Wenying Li
The research team also analyzed the DNA of microorganisms present in the cheese sample, identifying bacterial and fungal species that are still found in modern kefir grains. This analysis allowed them to compare the ancient kefir cheese’s bacterial composition to modern varieties, revealing fascinating insights into the evolution of kefir production.
“The results offered new insights into our knowledge of the lifestyle, techno-cultural exchanges, human-microbial interaction of the past populations, and opened a new door for us to explore through microbial genomes how microbiomes interfaced with human biology and culture to influence human health, behavior, and quality of life,” Fu explained to MaagX.com.
Microscopic image of kefir grains.Microscopic View of Kefir Grains, Showing the Complex Microbial Community Involved in Kefir Fermentation.
Currently, two main groups of Lactobacillus bacteria, originating from Russia and Tibet, are recognized within kefir cultures. The DNA analysis of the Xiaohe Cemetery cheese reveals a closer resemblance to the Tibetan bacterial culture. This finding challenges the prevailing notion that kefir cheese originated solely from the North Caucasus mountains in Russia.
“Our observation suggests kefir culture has been maintained in Northwestern China’s Xinjiang region since the Bronze Age,” Fu concluded.
This groundbreaking research provides valuable information about the Xiaohe mummies, whose origins have long intrigued scientists. Their distinct physical characteristics, unlike those of modern locals, have led researchers to speculate about their ancestry, with theories ranging from the Black Sea region to the Iranian Plateau. A 2021 study suggested that the Xiaohe mummies were direct descendants of the Ancient North Eurasians, a population prevalent during the Pleistocene era whose genetic legacy can still be found in some modern populations. This ongoing genetic research, encompassing both the mummies themselves and the ancient kefir cheese found on them, is gradually unveiling a richer understanding of this unique population.
The discovery of the world’s oldest cheese on these ancient mummies highlights the enduring power of scientific inquiry to reveal unexpected connections between the past and the present. It underscores the importance of archaeological research in unraveling the mysteries of ancient cultures and their intricate relationships with their environment and the microbial world.
