In modern times, cheeses are often aged for several months or even a year before they’re eaten. By the time they’re matured, they’re tangy, full-flavored and delicious…but that one-year-old cheddar you’re enjoying with your dinner guests can’t hold a candle to the world’s oldest cheese: 3,600-year-old pieces of cheese found with mummies from the Tarim Basin in the Taklamakan Dessert in northwestern China.
Who were the Tarim Mummies?
As if the Tarim mummies weren’t extraordinary enough because they took cheese with them to the afterlife, they were clearly not typical Asian people, even though they lived and died in China. These Bronze-Age, Caucasoid people had non-Asian features and light brown or red hair, and buried their dead atop a sand dune under what appears to be large wooden boats wrapped in cowhide. The dry air and salty soil of the region, coupled with the largely airtight seal provided by the cowhides, preserved these people and their grave-goods remarkably well. They were buried with wheeled carts, masks, noodles, cakes, and clothing in styles that were uncommon to the region’s native peoples. Their cloth included diagonal twill weaves and plaids similar to fabrics common to the ancient Celts. Many of the mummies were tattooed.
The mummies were found in an area near what was once part of the Silk Road trade route. Analysis of the seeds and animal products found with the mummies indicates that they were buried somewhere between 1450 and 1650 BC. Tests conducted on the earliest of these burials suggest the people came from somewhere in Eurasia, and some of the peoples’ origins are further pinpointed to southern Siberia. (Interestingly, although no one knows where and when the first kefir grains appeared, they are generally acknowledged to have come from the Northern Caucasus Mountains region in the former USSR.) While research is still ongoing about their culture and where they might have come from, they likely brought their cheesemaking knowledge with them when they came to China, perhaps being the very people who opened the door to the spread of dairy herding across Asia.
What type of cheese were they buried with?
While not all scientists agree on the type of cheese the mummies were buried with, it’s highly likely that it was a quick, easy, lactose-free and probiotic-rich cheese called kefir. Kefir has grown in popularity in the United States in recent years, but many Americans don’t know how to pronounce the word. The word “kefir” comes from a Turkish word that translates to “long life” or “good life”, and the pronunciation also comes from Turkish. Many American people pronounce it as KEE-fur or keff-ur, but the proper way to pronounce it is keh-FEAR. Now you know!
Kefir provided the naturally lactose-intolerant people with a way to consume dairy products and benefit from it’s calcium and probiotics without having to slaughter an animal for rennet, the coagulating enzyme most commonly used for cheese today, which is made from the stomach of young calves. Kefir does not require rennet, but instead relies on a starter culture of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens and other lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, which ferments milk into a tangy drink. When the fermented milk is allowed to drain and/or further age, it forms a soft cheese. The starter culture looks like slightly rubbery little round globules that are called “grains”, although they are not the seed-type grains that you might think of when you hear the word. These are my kefir grains:
In case you’re wondering, no one knows when the first kefir grains were produced. And if you happen to eat one, it’s okay, it won’t hurt you. Some people eat them on purpose, but they are valuable little workers, so I prefer to keep them to make more kefir and to share with others.
The history of cheesemaking is largely lost to antiquity, and was often thought to have been a happy accident when dairymen of olden times stored milk in bags made of calves’ stomachs. Because dairy proteins break down over time, it’s quite rare to find preserved examples of actual cheese. Cheesemaking tools have been found in Poland that date back 8,000 years, but no actual cheese from that time period exists, and there is no way to tell what kind of cheese was made in these tools simply by the lactic acid residue left on them. The kefir found on the Tarim Basin mummies not only proves to us that cheese was available over 3,600 years ago, but also that the cheese was deliberately made by mixing the bacterial cultures with the milk – theirs was not accidentally made by storing milk in a bag made of a calf stomach.
Kefir is extremely easy to make, and the process is virtually unchanged from the days when the Tarim-region people would have made it. The grains could be dried and stored for years if needed, and revitalized in fresh milk during times when milk was more plentiful. The fermented milk itself has an extended shelf life and increased nutritional value.
What does milk kefir taste like?
The first time I was given milk kefir to drink, it was during a healthy cooking class at my local community center. I did not like it; it was very strong and sour. That first taste put me off of kefir for years. But, looking back on that first experience, I realize now that the difference in her kefir and the kefir I make comes down to two things: the quality of the milk used, and how long the milk is allowed to ferment. I have top-quality milk to use, and I let my milk ferment for a short period of time, resulting in a tangy, slightly sour-cream-y flavor, while she most likely pushed her fermentation time as much as an extra day longer than I do. If you like sour cream, or even plain tangy yogurt, you’ll probably like kefir. If you’re not sure how you’ll feel about it, most grocery stores nowadays carry drinkable kefir in the dairy department next to the yogurts, and you can buy a small amount to try. These store-bought kefirs are not made traditionally and won’t be exactly the same as homemade but, taste-wise, will get you in the ballpark.
How can I make kefir for myself?
To make kefir at home, all you need is fresh milk and some milk kefir grains. (Click here to buy them.) Milk kefir grains are different than water kefir grains, which is another delicious type of fermented drink, but not what we’re talking about here, so be sure to buy grains that are for milk. If you have a friend who has been making milk kefir and is willing to share some grains with you, even better! Kefir grains are like a sourdough starter in that they need to be fed and used, and they multiply over time.
If you buy your kefir grains rather than getting some from a friend, they will most likely be shipped to you in just a little bit of milk… enough to keep the grains alive and active but not enough to make a mess during shipping. As soon as possible after you receive your grains, rinse them carefully in cool water through a nylon strainer and place them in a very clean glass jar with a wide opening, and follow the instructions below.
(Why do you have to use a nylon strainer? Most strainers are made with a metal mesh that can harm your kefir grains, so sticking with a plastic or nylon strainer is best. I have this flexible strainer and have been using it for a couple years, so I know it’s a good one. I use it for both milk kefir and water kefir. Click here to buy one for yourself.)
If you happen to buy kefir grains that are dry, you will need to rehydrate them in some fresh milk. Simply follow the instructions for making kefir, allowing the grains to soak up some yummy milk and get themselves activated. You might want to use the first one or two batches of kefir for baking or feeding to the chickens until the grains really get revved up, which might take a week, give or take.
The milk you use to make your kefir should be as fresh as possible. Any variety of animal milk will work. Nut “milks” may or may not work and I don’t recommend you try them, as you might wind up wasting your money if it doesn’t work. Raw dairy milk is my first choice, whether cow or goat. Pasteurized milk will work, but don’t use UHT (ultra high temperature) pasteurized milk. Milk that is too “dead” won’t work for cheese.
When you’re ready to make your kefir:
- Add one to two cups of milk for each teaspoon of kefir grains in your clean glass jar.
- Cover the opening of the jar with something that will allow the kefir to breathe, but won’t allow flies or dirt to get into the jar. A closely-woven cloth or a paper coffee filter is perfect.
- Use a rubber band to fasten the cloth or coffee filter to the top of the jar, and let the milk ferment and thicken for about 12 – 24 hours. Your first batch might take a little longer as your grains “wake up” from being stored for shipment.
- Taste your kefir beginning at 12 hours and decide if it needs more time to get to your liking. It should taste a bit sour and might even be slightly effervescent. If you prefer a stronger taste, let it ferment longer and check again. When the taste is how you like it, strain the kefir through the nylon filter to remove the grains.
- You can drink your kefir as it is, or use it in many types of recipes, such as you see here.
- Wash your jar, put the grains back in it, and add more fresh milk to start the process all over again.
How can I make kefir cheese?
To make kefir cheese, you will need finished milk kefir, following the instructions above. There are various ways to make kefir cheese, and really no wrong way. Start with this:
- It’s helpful to allow your kefir to ferment a little longer than you would for drinking, so that it’s thicker to begin with. (See the photo below.) Remember to remove your grains!
- You will need a piece of cloth such as a jelly bag, muslin, or a clean sanitized handkerchief. If you use cheesecloth, you’ll need to use several layers. Remember that kefir is not as thick as yogurt or cheese curd, and you don’t want your kefir to just pour right through.
- Line a strainer with the cloth, and position the cloth-lined strainer over a bowl to catch the dripping whey.
- Pour the thick kefir into the cloth-lined colander and let it drain for about 24 hours, or until the whey stops dripping. You may need to scrape down the sides of the cloth halfway through the draining time and stir the cheese to help it drain faster.
- Stir in any salt and seasonings you like, and enjoy. I prefer salt and dill, but feel free to experiment with other herbs. Flavors that you would like mixed into cream cheese will be good choices for mixing into kefir cheese.
- Kefir cheese becomes stronger-tasting the longer it ages. I’d suggest eating it within 4 – 5 days. More whey may be released while the cheese is waiting to be eaten, and the excess whey can simply be poured off.
If you’d like to make pressed kefir cheese:
- Prepare soft kefir cheese as directed above.
- Season with salt (and herbs if you like).
- Place the cheese in a damp (not soaked) cloth. Dampening and wringing out the cloth will help reduce the cheese sticking to it.
- Place it in a colander over a bowl, fold the cloth over the top of the cheese, and set a small plate on top of the cheese.
- Add some weights on top of the plate in the form of a few canned goods or bottle of water. It’s helpful to start with a small amount of weight and increase it over time, so that you don’t squish all your cheese out through the weave of the cloth. Larger quantities of soft cheese (more than about two cups) will require more weight to be added over time, and the longer it might take to press the whey out of the cheese. There’s really no wrong way to do this, so let your taste buds be your guide.
- When the whey finishes dripping out, your cheese is ready.
- Unwrap and enjoy! Pressed kefir cheese will be a bit crumbly and makes a wonderful addition to salads, pasta dishes, and hot soups. I like it spread on crusty bread with a little homemade salsa.
Can kefir be used as a starter for other cheeses?
I’m glad you asked! While kefir is usually consumed as a beverage, I personally don’t drink much of it. Some people love it and I hope you’ll try it, but it’s not my favorite way to use kefir. I prefer to use my kefir as a starter culture for other hard cheeses. I learned how to do that by reading David Asher’s book “The Art of Natural Cheesemaking.” This is a fantastic book that I highly recommend for anyone who’s interested in learning how to make cheese the way it was made before the advent of modern freeze-dried packaged cultures.
How does kefir-cultured cheese compare to cheese cultured with packaged culture? This is my first experiment from 2 1/2 years ago: a side-by-side comparison of homestead cheeses, made within a day of each other, and aged 5 weeks. The cheese on the left was cultured with kefir and the cheese on the right was cultured with purchased mesophyllic culture. While both cheeses were delicious, the kefir-cultured cheese had a greater yield, smoother flavor and pleasant mouthfeel, while the other cheese was a tiny bit crumblier and slightly more sour in comparison. There was no other change in the recipes except the culture.
If you enjoyed this article, and haven’t seen the first article in the series (on Viking cheese), I’d like to invite you to pop over there and give it a read: Part 1: Skyr and Mysa. Like, share, and make cheese!
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