Paul S. Kindstedt - Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization

In this painstakingly researched yet passion-laced book, Paul Kindstedt shows us how cheese, from its rudimentary beginnings to todays manufacturing, is inextricably linked to culture and, no less, to our future. Cheese and Culture is essential reading for anyone who loves cheese and, equally, cares about the future of food itself.

Laura Werlin, author, Laura Werlins Cheese Essentials

All honor and respect to Aristaeusthe Greek god who taught us to make cheeseand to Paul Kindstedt, who in Cheese and Culture teaches us its glorious history ever since.

Rob Kaufelt, proprietor, Murrays Cheese NYC

From the Garden of Eden to the dairy industries of today, Paul S. Kindstedt unfolds the monumental story of cheese. Vast in scope, rich in detail, Cheese and Culture is a casein-inspired epic.

Eric LeMay, author, Immortal Milk

Cheese and Culture is the book both cheese professionals and cheese geeks have been waiting for. Professor Kindstedt gives us the mostly untold history of cheese and its societal import from 6500 bc to the present, answering all my cheese questionseven the ones I didnt know I had. Cheese and Culture is the most comprehensive cheese book ever written by an American, a great addition to our collective cheese library.

Gordon Edgar, cheese buyer, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative,
and author, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge

This book will fascinate anyone who loves cheese. With a sweeping perspective, from the earliest prehistoric domestication of goats and sheep to the present, it chronicles how social, technological, and political developments gave rise to the vast array of cheeses we know and love.

Sandor Ellix Katz, author, The Art of Fermentation ,
The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved , and Wild Fermentation

Given the vast amount thats been written about cheese down the centuries, the surprising absence of a scholarly work on the history of cheese is all the more remarkable. With Cheese and Culture , noted dairy scientist and author Paul Kindstedt has admirably filled this gap to an extent that should satisfy even the most avid cheese geek.

Kate Arding, cofounder, Culture magazine

No cheese lover or cheesemakers education will be complete without reading of the epic journey of cheese as it influences and is influenced by human civilization. Paul Kindstedt steers the reader through a vast sea of history with the steady, inspired hand and confidence of a seasoned captain of his subject. What a gift to the world of cheese!

Gianaclis Caldwell, cheesemaker, Pholia Farm,
and author, The Farmstead Creamery Advisor

Paul Kindstedt has fashioned a remarkable book about one of humankinds most distinctive foods. Drawing upon comprehensive evidence from archaeology to contemporary artisan cheese making, Dr. Kindstedt shapes the complex story of cheese. He examines the impact of geography and climate, religion, social status and wealth, transportation and commerce... to describe and explain the 8,500-year evolution of cheese from Neolithic humans to present-day America. From archaeologists and anthropologists and historians to cheesemakers and consumers who want to deepen their understanding and appreciation of cheese, Dr. Kindstedts book will enlighten, entertain, and reveal the fascinating history and culture of cheese. Bravissimi e complimenti !

Jeffrey Roberts, New England Culinary Institute
and author, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese

I love this bookaccessible in its prose and style with the breadth and depth of an academic work. All those interested in the role that cheesemaking has played in the development of the world we live in will come away after reading this book with context and understanding, and an intellectual appreciation of why cheese appeals to so many people at an emotional level. Paul Kindstedt has produced a seminal work in Cheese and Culture .

Mateo Kehler, cheesemaker, Jasper Hill Farm

Dr. Kindstedts love and passion for the artisan cheese movement is inspiring. In his latest book, he has presented a beautiful and historically rich mosaic of the history of cheese on our little green planet. With reference to the past, and detailed attention paid to the present, as well as extrospection for the future, Dr. Kindstedt has created an amalgamation of artisan cheese reference the like of which has not been attempted before.

Matt Jennings, co-owner/executive chef, Farmstead/La Laiterie

Only a true scholar could weave together the complexity of history, anthropology, language, geography, religion, and science to inform and enlighten our understanding of the evolution of cheese making throughout the millennia. Kindstedt, first and foremost with his discerning scientific mind, helps historians inform the heretofore mysteries in the cheese-making continuum.

Catherine Donnelly, PhD, codirector, Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese

Cheese

and

Culture

Cheese

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Culture

A History of Cheese and Its
Place in Western Civilization

Paul S. Kindstedt

Chelsea Green Publishing
White River Junction, Vermont

Copyright 2012 by Paul S. Kindstedt.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION , copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by the International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires permission of the International Bible Society.

Cover painting by Clara Peeters (Flanders, Antwerp, circa 1594after 1639/before 1657)

Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries , circa 1625

Painting, oil on wood, 18 in. (46.67 33.34 cm)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Carter (M.2003.108.8)

European Painting and Sculpture Department.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

Digital Image 2012 Museum Associates/LACMA. Licensed by Art Resource, NY

Project Manager: Patricia Stone

Editorial Contact: Ben Watson

Copy Editor: Laura Jorstad

Proofreader: Ellen Brownstein

Indexer: Lee Lawton

Designer: Peter Holm, Sterling Hill Productions

Printed in the United States of America

First printing March, 2012

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Our Commitment to Green Publishing

Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise in the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because it was printed on paper that contains recycled fiber, and we hope youll agree that its worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative ( www.greenpressinitiative.org ), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the worlds endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Cheese and Culture was printed on FSC -certified paper supplied by Thomson-Shore that contains at least 30% postconsumer recycled fiber.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kindstedt, Paul.

Cheese and culture : a history of cheese and its place in western civilization / Paul Kindstedt.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60358-411-1 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-60358-412-8 (ebook)