Sep 12 2009
Unbelievable Carvings and Sculptures Out of Cheese
There is no recorded history of the age of cheese; however it’s believed that cheese originated in the Middle East or Europe. Archaeologists have found evidence of cheese making in Egyptian tomb murals, dating back to 2000 BCE, however their findings were never conclusive.
The earliest cheeses were likely to have been quite sour and salty, similar in texture to rustic cottage cheese or feta, a crumbly, flavorful Greek cheese.
It is possible that milk was left in a food storage barrel, made out of the stomach of an animal, and it turned into curd and whey by the rennet. When individuals realized that by adding salt to the curd the result was a more solid texture, they kept the tradition going by adding the rennet deliberately.
By Roman times, cheese was an everyday food and cheese making was an art. However, I don’t think they ever planned for it’s purpose to be purely decorative. This is what has happened now a days. More so than not, we are accustomed to seeing carvings of cheese, as opposed to the simple cubes accompanied by an assortment of crackers.
Cheese carver Troy Landwehr brushes oil off a rendition of the signing of the Declaration of Independence carved out of 2000 lbs of cheese in New York, July 3, 2008. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
This cheese sculpture of part of Cardiff Castle has been made to highlight its new status as host to the Great British Cheese Festival, on 27-28 September. Cardiff sculptors Ice2Art made it from a 2m x 1.5m block supplied by Carmarthenshire Cheese and Dairy Farmers of Great Britain. A time-lapse film showing its creation can be seen on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/BritishCheeseFest.
I really like your blog. These sculptures are really cool. They look too good to eat though I love cheese and looking still makes my mouth water. Pass me a knife and some crackers.