Cheesy facts for cheese lovers day

Dare to go beyond the usual and take your taste buds on a trip.

Hope you having a Gouda day because it is cheese lovers day!

Cheese is an ancient dairy product with no conclusive evidence indicating where it originated from. A mystery that might never get solved.

It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually from cows, goats, sheep and sometimes buffaloes and is produced in a wide range of flavours, textures and forms depending on the bacteria, processing, and how long they've been aged for.

There are estimated to be more than 1800 different types of this delectable delicacy that can go well with so many dishes in the world.

The most popular being cheddar cheese and the least popular being blue cheese.

Cheese is greatly valued for its portability, long shelf life ( although how long cheese lasts depends on the type of cheese) and high content of protein, calcium and phosphorus. 

Hard cheese such as Parmesan lasts longer than soft cheeses, such as Brie or goats milk cheese. 

Fun facts about cheese.

1) Cheese is also miraculously good for the skin. Cream cheese is a natural anti-ageing product, once applied on the face it ensures that moisture is locked in keeping the layer below the skin supple and hydrated.

2) Some of the components found in milk helps calves stay healthy and calm, these components get super concentrated in cheese. When we consume cheese, the same feel-good chemicals are let loose creating an amazing happy feel. Guess that must be why cheese is widely loved.

3) Cheese is used in sweet treats as well.

4) The heaviest and biggest cheese to ever be created was made by a Canadian cheesemaker who used 540, 000 pounds of milk to make a 32 feet long cheese which weighed 57,518 pounds.

5) Many lactose-intolerant people can eat cheese, this is because aged cheese tends to have very low levels of lactose in them.

6) The most expensive cheese in the world is Pule cheese. It's exclusively produced at Serbia's Zasavica Special Nature Reserve from the milk of endangered Balkan donkeys.

7) The United States is the largest consumer of cheese in the world with Germany coming in second.

8) The oldest ever sold cheese was a 15-year-old Bitto Storico and was sold for roughly Sh. 716,800 in China.

9)You can grill cheese on its own.

Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes cow's milk as well. Its texture is squeaky and it has a high melting point thus can easily be fried or grilled.

This makes it a popular meat substitute.