Historical accounts link cheese-making to enslaved communities’ survival

Cheese-making served as a means of subsistence for some communities formed by formerly enslaved people in Brazil. Historical accounts describe quilombos where residents used techniques learned on plantations and built rooms dedicated to producing and ageing cheese.

Archaeologists estimate that cheese production began roughly 8,000 years ago, before writing emerged. The oldest evidence identified so far consists of ceramic vessels found in present-day Poland that contain milk-fat residues and date from about 5,500BC.

Cheese-making also appeared independently among societies that had no contact with one another. Examples cited include ancient Egyptians, nomadic communities in Tibet that used yak milk, and groups in the Indus Valley that produced an early form of paneer.

Salting and pressing helped cheese remain edible for months without refrigeration or industrial chemistry. The food was used to sustain armies, nomadic groups and other populations through severe winters.

In Brazil, cheese became more widespread as cattle farming expanded into the interior during the early 18th century. The Gold Cycle was associated with the development of Queijo Minas Artesanal for miners. During the 19th century, European immigrants arriving in southern Brazil brought traditions that contributed to Queijo Colonial.

In 2024, Passionata became the first Brazilian cheese to place among the ten highest-ranked cheeses at the World Cheese Awards in more than 36 editions of the competition. Created at Biopark’s Fine Cheese Laboratory, it contains an infusion of passion fruit, a fruit native to tropical parts of the Americas.

Cheese ageing also continues to rely on sensory assessment. Master affineurs tap the rind and assess the returning sound to estimate texture and identify defects before tasting the cheese. An error in that assessment can affect months of ageing work.