Evidence of 7,200-year-old cheese making on the Dalmatian coast

According to an international team of researchers, analysis of greasy residues in pottery on the Croatian coast of Dalmatia revealed evidence of fermented dairy products – soft cheeses and yogurts – of around 7,200 years old.

"This is driving back the manufacturing of 4,000-year-old cheese," said Sarah B. McClure, Associate Professor of Anthropology.

The presence of milk in pottery in this region is found 7,700 years ago, 500 years earlier than fermented products, the researchers said. The DNA analysis of the populations of this area indicates that the adults were lactose intolerant, but the children remained able to consume milk up to the age of ten.

"First, we have milking, and it was probably for children because it is a good source of moisture and is relatively free of pathogens," said McClure. "It would not be a surprise for people to give milk to the children of another mammal."

However, about 500 years later, researchers are seeing a shift not only from pure milk to fermented products, but also from the style and shape of pottery vases.

"Cheese production is important enough for people to make new types of cookware," said McClure. "We are witnessing this cultural change."

When only meat, fish and milk residues are found in pottery in the early Neolithic period, pottery is a style called "impressed items" found throughout the region.

500 years later, in the Middle Neolithic, another style of pottery using different technologies existed – the Danilo pottery – which defines the era in this area and includes plates and bowls. There are three subtypes of Danilo pottery.

Figulina represents five percent of this type and is highly cooked and buff in color, often slipped and decorated. All these potteries contained milk residues. Other Danilo products contained animal fats and freshwater fish residues.

The Rhyta, which are walking vessels with round bodies and often have an animal or human form, have large openings on the sides and separate handles. The researchers found that three of the four rhyta in their sample had traces of cheese.

The third category of Danilo products is the sieve, which is often used in the manufacture of cheese to filter the treated milk when it separates into curds and whey. Three of the four sieves in the sample showed signs of secondary milk processing into cheese or other fermented dairy products.

"This is the oldest documented evidence of lipid residues in fermented dairy products in the Mediterranean region, and among the oldest documented to date," report researchers today (5 September) to PLOS One.

The researchers examined the pottery of two sites in Croatia in Dalmatia – Pokrovnik and Danilo Bitinj. Whenever possible, they selected samples of unwashed pottery, but because some pottery forms are rarer, they used washed samples for sieves. They tested the pottery residues for carbon isotopes, which can indicate the type of fat and can distinguish between meat, fish, milk and fermented milk products. They used radiocarbon dating on bones and seeds to determine the age of the pottery.

According to researchers, the dairy industry – and especially cheese and fermented milk products – may have opened agricultural areas in northern Europe, reducing infant mortality and allowing for weaning. earlier and an increase in the population. It also provided a form of storable nutrition for adults, as the fermentation of cheese and yogurt reduced the lactose content of dairy products, making it tasty for adults and children.

With a food source that can reduce the risks associated with farming in colder northern climates, farmers could expand their territories.

Explore more:
Video: How milk becomes cheese

More information:
McClure SB, Magill C, Podrug E, Moore TNT, Harper TK, Culleton BJ et al. (2018) The d13C values ​​specific for fatty acids reveal the oldest production of Mediterranean cheese 7,200 years ago. PLoS ONE 13 (9): e0202807. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202807