10 unlikely things you didn't know about cheese!

Believe us, the anecdotes form an interesting gallery…

There is more to cheese than comforting us and making our taste buds dance

1 - Cheese is the most stolen food in the world.

Surprising, isn't it? The Center for Retail Research surveyed 1,198 supermarket chains in 43 different countries, it turns out that cheese is the most stolen item in the world!

According to the study, more than 4% of world production is stolen. A phenomenon that is explained by the small size of this food, easily hidden, and in some countries it is considered a luxury.

2 - There is a pizza with 834 pieces of cheese.

We can agree on the fact that the pizza with 3 or 4 cheeses is delicious; but 834...? This is a world record set in Lyon on September 25, 2021, after 14 months of work, as part of the resumption of international trade fairs, hotels and food. According to Chef Julien Serri, "The aim of this project was to highlight the diversity and grandeur of French cheese heritage".

3 - The most dangerous cheese in the world.

It's cazu marzu, a type of feta cheese that originated in Italy. Fly larvae have been deliberately introduced for fermentation... Risk of larval colonization with the consumption of this cheese, intestinal tract and cause serious intestinal damage. We assure you that you do not want to know the symptoms it causes.

Europe banned the sale of this cheese in 2005, but we can still find it in Sardinia.

4 - Mice really don't like cheese.

Contrary to what the cartoon would have us believe, Manchester Metropolitan University reveals that rats really don't like cheese. In fact, their little nose is more sensitive and delicate than ours to the taste of cheese which is more intense and pungent. In fact, if mice are hungry, they can eat cheese, but not particularly for flavor.

5 - The oldest cheese in the world is 3,000 years old.

The oldest cheese in the world found in Egypt during the reigns of Sisi I and Ramses II, in recent excavations archaeologists found white remains known to scientists as cheese.

Therefore, the oldest cheese in the world is a hard cheese made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep and buffaloes from Africa, so it is over 3000 years old.

However, it cannot be eaten because it is infected with Brucella melis (a poisonous bacteria).

6 - Tyrosemiophiles are cheese label collectors.

There are collectors for everything; stamps, figurines, books... So, of course, cheese labels are no exception! These collectors are called "tyrosemiophiles" and some even own tens of thousands of them.

7 - Eating cheese before going to sleep improves sleep.

According to the British Cheese Council, cottage cheese contains a high amount of tryptophan (amino acid) which promotes sleep. Like milk, it increases levels of serotonin and melatonin, a hormone that causes drowsiness. Be careful, because this is not the case with all cheeses! Some are to be avoided such as those that are ripened and fermented, as they could cause the opposite effect.

8 - You can be addicted to cheese

Cheese contains a protein called "casein", it secretes casomorphine during the digestion phase which activates the reward system.

According to a study published in the journal Plos One and researchers from the University of Michigan, cheese would be highly addictive and its action would be similar to that of drugs.

However, this information remains to be qualified, because "addiction" to cheese does not induce the same risks as other addictions! Yes, cheese can be addictive, but it would not be correct to call it an addiction (which has a negative meaning).

9 - Cheese phobia

This is tyrophobia. For some, the smell of cheese alone can cause fainting, and walking through the cheese aisle is a real

test ! Apparently, this phobia stems from a traumatic experience in which a person was forced to eat something, against their will, in childhood.

10 - There are no holes in Gruyère cheese

In truth, there are no holes in Gruyère, but in Emmental! Emmental wheels have a specific fermentation of 45 days. Under the effect of heat, the bacteria contained inside release carbon dioxide, stuck in the impermeable crust. It is therefore this gas that creates the holes in the grinding wheel while trying to escape!