Archaeological studies have found that people have been eating cheese for almost 8000 years. It is believed that some not only made milk into cheese to preserve it, but also because much of the population was lactose intolerant. The gene that allows adults to digest lactose started to become more common about 5000 years ago, it is believed. Interestingly, when they analyzed the DNA of a group of men from very early Celtic descent (4,200 years ago) they found they had the gene for lactose tolerance.
This passage, taken from an 11th century Middle Irish tale, The Vision of Mac Conglinne, shows the love early Celts had for milk and dairy products, and gives us a rare look at their eating habits.
A lake of new milk I beheld
In the midst of a fair plain.
I saw a well-appointed house
Thatched with butter.
As I went all around it
To view its arrangement
I saw that puddings fresh-boiled
Were its thatch-rods.
Its two soft door-posts of custard,
Its dais of curds and butter,
Beds of glorious lard,
Many shields of thin-pressed cheese.
Under the straps of those shields
Were men of soft sweet smooth cheese,
Men who knew not to wound a Gael,
Spears of old butter had each of them.
A huge cauldron full of meat
(Methought I’d try to tackle it)
Boiled, leafy kale, browny white,
A brimming vessel full of milk.
A bacon house of two-score ribs,
A wattling of tripe– support of clans–
Of every food pleasant to man,
Meseemed the whole was gathered there.
Cheese and dairy products seem to always have been a regular part of the Scottish diet. Milk was an important source of animal protein for those who could not afford meat. It would mostly come from cows, but milk from goats and sheep was also common. There is evidence that buttermilk or whey was also drunk, but it was difficult to keep fresh, so was usually used in soups or pottage. Cheese has been suggested to have been, during many periods, the chief supplier of animal protein among the lower classes. Butter, another important dairy product, was in popular use in the regions of Northern Europe that specialized in cattle production in the latter half of the Middle Ages, which must include the Scottish Highlands. While most other regions used oil or lard as cooking fats, butter was the dominant cooking medium in these areas. Its production also allowed for a lucrative butter export from the 12th century onward.
Cows don’t give milk nonstop year round. They give lots of milk after they have a calf, then milk production wanes when the cow is bred, again. In a few more months, the cow quits giving milk, because her body needs to focus nutrients on the gestating calf. Making cheese is a way to preserve milk, which can be eaten when your cow is not producing fresh milk.
I have come across several recipes for a type of cheese, typically made in the Highlands, that uses buttermilk and fresh milk only,– no rennet or added acid of any kind.
HATTED KIT
“Warm two quarts of buttermilk slightly at milking time. Carry the vessel to the side of a cow and milk into it a pint of milk. Stir well. At the next milking, add another pint and stir again. Let it stand till it firms and gathers a hat. Remove the curd, place it on a hair sieve, and press the whey through till the curd is stiff. Put into a mould and leave for half an hour. Turn out and strew with sugar and nutmeg, and serve with thick cream.”
I was able to make a very satisfactory adaption of this recipe, which was delicious both as a sweet and savory cheese:
- 32 oz whole milk (1 quart)
- 12 oz buttermilk (1-1/2 cups)
- 2 tsp coarse salt (optional; do not use if serving with honey or jam
- 1 tsp dried herbs — I used marjoram, mint, thyme (optional, as above)
Combine milk, buttermilk (also salt & herbs if using) over medium-high heat, until curds appear and whey is translucent (about 8 minutes).
Ladle into lined colander and allow to drain several minutes. Lift and press out excess whey. Allow to cool.
Both varieties were delicious! I served the herb cheese with a barley flatbread and the plain version with oatcakes and honey or jam (recipe follows).
In all of the very earliest recipe collections from Scotland, there are procedures for preserving food and recipes for jellies, pickles, and fruit sauces. A very basic recipe, To make Marmalade of Gooseberries, read:
Take a stone jugg and put your gooseberries therin, and set them in boileing water till they disolve; then poure them into a Callender, and lett the liquor and substance rune from them then take 2 or 3 of the greenest Apples you can gett, pare them and cut them into small pices, then straine them with the aforsaid Pap of Gooseberries; and take as much Sugar boiled to a Candie height, as usually to others.
I was very familiar with the idea of using green apples in place of modern pectin. I also decided to use honey, in place of sugar, for sweetener, as honey would have been plentiful and sugar would have been expensive, although available, at this time.
My recipe:
Blackberry Jam
- 3# fresh blackberries
- 1-3/4 c. honey
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples
- 1 Tbl lemon juice
Wash berries and place in a large pot. Slice apples into quarters; remove core, but do not peel. Grate and add to pot.
Add honey and lemon juice. Heat on high until mixture begins to boil; reduce and simmer, about 15 minutes.
Use a potato masher to make a uniform consistency of berry mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an additional 15-45 minutes. The mixture will thicken as it cools.