The world’s oldest cheese sheds light on ancient Chinese culture
What genetic analysis of a 3,500-year-old sour goat’s cheese from Xinjiang reveals
FOR MORE than 3,500 years the mummified remains of the Xiaohe people lay undisturbed in a desert cemetery in Xinjiang in western China. Then, in 1979, a team of archaeologists got their hands on them. Among the treasures they dug up were mysterious white lumps strewn across the mummies’ necks: chunks of the oldest preserved cheese in the world.
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Extra extra mature”
From the September 28th 2024 edition
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