Roman Cheese

[Carlton Bach]

Had a little more time now (what an unusual feeling)

CHeese was made from cow, goat and sheep milk, but it seems that goat and sheep were preferred, possibly ecause of the creamier consistency and easier digestibility of the cheese compared to cow's milk, but also because cows were generally not kept for milk, so there wasn't that much available. It was usually made from the whole milk (not, as is common in much of Europe today, from the skimmed milk or buttermilk), so it would have had a higher fat content than most north European cheeses. IIRC most sheep and goiat cheeses are still made that way.

The curdling could be effected by natural souring, in which case the result would be a fresh, sour curd not suitable for aging (lac concretum, possibly similar to melca, a Germanic loan word) but sometimes eaten with herbs (Columella describes curdling milk together with mint, coriander and oregano) or oil (as recommended by Apicius). Anthimus recommends 'melca', which is probably a kind of sour milk more akin to yoghurt or skyr, with honey.

For less perishable cheeses, curdling was initiated by an agent, usually rennet (Columella favour lamb rennet, Varro that of hares or kid), though fresh acidic plant juices are also recorded, fig juice the favourite.

THe consistency of the final product determines whether it is then aged dry, preserved by brining or püicckling, or eaten fresh. Columella says that a cheese that is too thin needs to be sold immediately. Thick curds could be draineed of the whey and pressed in cheesemoulds that could have all manner of shapes, though cylindrical, conical or bowl-shaped are most common in the archeological record. One dsrained and pressed, the fresh cheese loaf could be salted and dried in the open air to make a kind of soft cheese. If a hard cheese was desired, it would be stored cool and dry for several days before a second pressing, then aged. It could be wrapped in aromatic leaves or smoked during the process. Waxing is not mentioned.

Fresh cheese could also be brined in salt water or pickled in vinegar to preserve it, much as modern feta is. Pliny recommends a mixtrure of two parts vinegar to one part brine. Columelly also recommends preserving sliced fresh cheese in grape must.

Cheese could be seasoned and apparently was, inventively so. Columella merela recommends 'any seasoning' that is liked. It was also smoked or air-dried.

Romans were generally conoisseurs of cheese and traded hard cheeses over great distances (Pliny mentions cheeses from Southern Gaul and all over Italy). CHeese is also much used as a baking ingredient in the agricultural writers, though Apicius uses it less (perhaps because it is a bucolic, rural luxury, not a refined Graecising gourmet pleasure).

Cheese, presumably mostly the hard, durable kind, were eaten quite commonly by soldiers. I have no evidence whether it was eaten on or with bread, but can attewst to the fact that a meal of hard cheese, wheat bread, and pickled olives eaten al fresco is a very satisfying lunch.


edit one: cheeses could be made in very large sizees - Martial mentions a 1,000 lb block. He also states that it would make meals 'for a thousand slaves', which sounds like he regarded a Roman pound - about 375g - as a reasonable amount for one person. Ample, but if it's your only protein and fat source, not excessive.

edit two: the ancients were aware of lactose intolerance, which seems to have been more common than in modern Greece and Italy, and knew that some people found cheese gave them extreme digestive trouble. Apparently, it was good manners to provide 'cheese-free options' like moderns do vegetarian.