Cheesemaking across the world has also been invented in the mountains of the Swiss Alps, the rich climates of France and Tuscany, and the bold churns of Germany. The International Dairy Federation estimates that France holds the title for the most cheese consumed in a year per capita, but Italy boasts a close second.
The country that consumes the most cheese per capita is Greece where 27.5 kg.
The most enthusiastic consumers of cheese in Europe are the Estonians, who get through an average of 24.6kg a year each – 80% of the country's milk goes into its production.
The top cheese consumer is Denmark. The country consumes 28.1 kilograms of cheese consumption per capita. The second highest consumer is Iceland followed by Finland at 27.7 kilograms and 27.3 kilograms of cheese consumption per capita respectively.
While Americans may indulge in a cheese board at parties or special occasions, almost half of the entire French population eat cheese every single day, according to Talk In French. Outside of France, many Europeans include cheese as part of their continental breakfast.
Cheese aficionados can go beyond France, Switzerland, and Italy for all of their cheese tasting needs. Every country has their own shape, texture, and flavor to offer. From Mexico to Norway, these are the countries you should visit if you're obsessed with cheese.
They were also able to be stored, and were easily transportable. The researchers conclude that the early adoption of cheese thus not only reduced infant mortality, but also provided extra nutrition for adults and allowed farming communities to expand their ranges.
Cheesemaking across the world has also been invented in the mountains of the Swiss Alps, the rich climates of France and Tuscany, and the bold churns of Germany. The International Dairy Federation estimates that France holds the title for the most cheese consumed in a year per capita, but Italy boasts a close second.
While its cheeses don't have the international recognition of France or Italy, Germany is hands-down Europe's largest producer of cheese and ranks second worldwide, behind the United States.
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, Italy
Also known as the “King of Cheeses,” Parmigiano Reggiano has a long lineage stretching back hundreds of years.
The earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE and is found in what is now Kuyavia, Poland, where strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been found. Cheesemaking may have begun independently of this by the pressing and salting of curdled milk to preserve it.
According to Guinness World Records, Turkey has the largest per capita consumption of bread in the world as of 2000, with 199.6 kg (440 lb) per person; Turkey is followed in bread consumption by Serbia and Montenegro with 135 kg (297 lb 9.9 oz), and Bulgaria with 133.1 kg (293 lb 6.9 oz).
In terms of volume, only France and Germany produce more cheese than Italy. Their most famous cheeses include the creamy and milky soft cheeses Mozzarella, Gorgonzola blue cheese, Mascarpone and Ricotta.
There has not been dairy in the mainstream Chinese diet for centuries — no butter, no milk, no cheese, nothing. Ninety percent of the population is said to be lactose intolerant.
While cheese in Eastern Asia is not a traditional component of their diet, the rapidly accelerating Western culinary influences have introduced cheese to these cultures. It still remains somewhat of a foreign novelty and not really a viable component of local tastes and culture.
It's no secret some of the best cheese in the world comes from France, Switzerland and Italy.
Europe has the highest level of per capita cheese consumption. In 2022, people in the European Union ate on average 20.96 kilograms of cheese. U.S. and Canada came in second and third in that year at about 17.8 and 14.85 kilograms of cheese per capita.
But according to the most recent data on Statista, Germany was the top exporter of cheese globally. In 2021, Germany's cheese exports had a value of $5.4 billion, followed by the Netherlands with $4.6 billion dollars in cheese exports.
The year-round rainfall and plentiful green grass in the Netherlands provides the perfect pasture for dairy cows. All that dairy needs to go somewhere, and much of it goes towards making Dutch cheese. The country produces 650 million kilos of cheese annually.
In the Netherlands, milk became a popular drink at a time when clean water was in short supply. Any that wasn't drunk was churned into butter or cheeses, often named after the towns where they were traded, such as Gouda (pronounced, to the confusion of cheese-lovers worldwide, "How-da").
Famine and disease drove the evolution of lactose tolerance in Europe. Prehistoric people in Europe were consuming milk thousands of years before humans evolved the genetic trait allowing us to digest the milk sugar lactose as adults, finds a new study led by UCL and University of Bristol researchers.
It's a hangover from the Korean War (1950-1953), when US army bases would hand out American food such as Spam, hot dogs, chocolate and slices of cheese to locals. Alice's grandmother remembers when they first started eating cheese in Korea.
South Koreans also often incorporate cheese into local dishes like noodle soup and kimchi stir-fried rice. They say the cheese helps to take away the heat from traditionally spicy dishes.
The bacteria used in cheesemaking are divided into two main groups: mesophilic and thermophilic. Mesophilic bacteria grow best at lower temperatures than thermophilic bacteria. Mesophilic culture blends are used primarily for American-style and specialty cheeses (ie: cheddar, brie, etc.)