Oldest cheese material identified in China

Yellowish clumps unearthed in ancient tombs in Northwestern China have been identified as the oldest physical evidence of cheese, researchers report in the Journal of Archaeological Science in February.

The yellowish clumps found around the neck and chest on the mummy of Princess Xiaohe in the Xiaohe cemetery in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are believed to be more than 3,600 years old, making them the oldest cheese remnants known to human beings.

The project is conducted by researchers from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.