World's oldest cheese found buried with mummies in China

Researchers say they've discovered the world's oldest cheese.

It was made more than 3,500 years ago in western China.

It's been identified as a type of kefir cheese - similar to thick yoghurt - made from cow and goat milk.

Experts say they've been able to learn a lot about the cheese itself, and also about society at that time.

What did experts find?

Around twenty years ago, a team of archaeologists discovered a white cheese buried with several mummies in China's Tarim Basin in the north-west of the country.

The mummies date back around 3,500 years, to the Bronze Age.

Scientists decided to take a closer look at the mystery food to work out what it was.

They found that the cheese contained both cow and goat milk and that the substance was a type of kefir cheese.

Kefir is made by fermenting milk using kefir grains, which contain a mixture of good bacteria and yeast.

Not only that, experts say they also found that the microorganisms in the ancient cheese, are still used to make the dairy product today!

Researchers think that this is the oldest known cheese sample ever discovered in the world.

Qiaomei Fu, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who involved with the study explained: “Food items like cheese are extremely difficult to preserve over thousands of years, making this a rare and valuable opportunity.

"Studying the ancient cheese in great detail can help us better understand our ancestors’ diet and culture,” she added.