London - What would you take to the afterlife? Treasured jewellery, family portraits? How about some cheese to nibble on?
Blocks of what are said to be the world’s oldest cheese have been found buried with 3 600-year-old mummies in the Taklamakan desert in north-west China, where the extreme heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter provided perfect conditions for natural mummification — and cheese preservation.
Archaeologists say these ancient cheeses would have been made with a method similar to that which is used today to produce kefir — a sour, fermented mix with a consistency like cottage cheese. - Daily Mail