A brie(f) history of cheese - Paul Kindstedt

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Before empires and royalty,

Pre carstava i plemića,

before pottery and writing,

pre grnčarstva i pisma,

before metal tools and weapons –

pre metalnog oruđa i oružja -

there was cheese.

postojao je sir.

As early as 8000 BCE,

Još 8 000. godine p.n.e,

the earliest Neolithic farmers living in the Fertile Crescent

najstariji neolitski zemljoradnici koji su živeli u Plodnom polumesecu

began a legacy of cheesemaking

započeli su tradiciju proizvodnje sira

almost as old as civilization itself.

koja je gotovo stara koliko i sama civilizacija.

The rise of agriculture led to domesticated sheep and goats,

Uspon zemljoradnje je doveo do pripitomljavanja ovaca i koza,

which ancient farmers harvested for milk.

koje su drevni zemljoradnici uzgajali radi mleka.

But when left in warm conditions for several hours,

Međutim, kada se ostavi na toplom na nekoliko sati,

that fresh milk began to sour.

to sveže mleko se ukiseli.

Its lactic acids caused proteins to coagulate, binding into soft clumps.

Zbog mlečne kiseline se mlečni proteini zgrušavaju, vezujući se u meko grumenje.

Upon discovering this strange transformation,

Otkrivši ovaj neobični preobražaj,

the farmers drained the remaining liquid –

zemljoradnici bi iscedili preostalu tečnost -

later named whey –

koja je kasnije nazvana surutkom -

and found the yellowish globs could be eaten fresh as a soft, spreadable meal.

i otkrili su da se žućkasti ugrušci mogu jesti sveži kao mek namaz.

These clumps, or curds, became the building blocks of cheese,

Ovo grumenje ili grude postali su osnova za sir,

which would eventually be aged, pressed, ripened, and whizzed

koji će kasnije da puštaju da ostari, iscedi se, sazre i zapeni

into a diverse cornucopia of dairy delights.

u obilje mlečnih poslastica.

The discovery of cheese gave Neolithic people an enormous survival advantage.

Otkriće sira je neolitskim ljudima pružilo značajnu prednost u preživljavanju.

Milk was rich with essential proteins, fats, and minerals.

Mleko je bogato esencijalnim proteinima, mastima i mineralima.

But it also contained high quantities of lactose –

Međutim, takođe sadrži visoke količine laktoze -

a sugar which is difficult to process for many ancient and modern stomachs.

šećera koga su teško prerađivali mnogi drevni i savremeni stomaci.

Cheese, however, could provide all of milk’s advantages with much less lactose.

Sir, međutim, mogao je da obezbedi sve prednosti mleka uz mnogo manje laktoze.

And since it could be preserved and stockpiled,

A kako je mogao da se čuva i skladišti,

these essential nutrients could be eaten

ove esencijalne hranljive materije je bilo moguće jesti

throughout scarce famines and long winters.

tokom sporadičnih perioda gladi i dugih zima.

Some 7th millennium BCE pottery fragments found in Turkey

Neki komadi grnčarije iz sedmog milenijuma p.n.e. pronađeni u Turskoj

still contain telltale residues of the cheese and butter they held.

i dalje sadrže nagoveštaje ostataka sira i maslaca koji su u njima stajali.

By the end of the Bronze Age,

Do kraja bronzanog doba,

cheese was a standard commodity in maritime trade

sir je bio uobičajena namirnica u pomorskoj trgovini

throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

širom istočnog Mediterana.

In the densely populated city-states of Mesopotamia,

U gusto naseljenim gradovima-državama Mesopotamije,

cheese became a staple of culinary and religious life.

sir je postao temelj kulinarskog i religioznog života.

Some of the earliest known writing

Neki od najranijih poznatih zapisa

includes administrative records of cheese quotas,

uključuju administrativne beleške o sledovanjima sira,

listing a variety of cheeses for different rituals and populations

nabrajaju razne sireve za različite rituale i narode

across Mesopotamia.

širom Mesopotamije.

Records from nearby civilizations in Turkey also reference rennet.

Zapisi iz obližnjih civilizacija u Turskoj takođe pominju sirište.

This animal byproduct, produced in the stomachs of certain mammals,

Ovaj životinjski nusproizvod, koji nastaje u stomacima određenih sisara

can accelerate and control coagulation.

može da ubrza i kontroliše zgrušavanje.

Eventually this sophisticated cheesemaking tool spread around the globe,

Vremenom se ovo prefinjeno sredstvo za izradu sira proširilo svetom,

giving way to a wide variety of new, harder cheeses.

krčeći put širokoj lepezi novih tvrđih sireva.

And though some conservative food cultures rejected the dairy delicacy,

Iako su neke konzervativnije kulture hrane odbacivale ovaj mlečni delikates,

many more embraced cheese, and quickly added their own local flavors.

mnogo više njih je prigrlilo sir i ubrzo su dodali sopstvene lokalne ukuse.

Nomadic Mongolians used yaks’ milk to create hard, sundried wedges of Byaslag.

Nomadski Mongoli su koristili mleko jaka

da bi proizveli tvrde grude bjaslaga koje suše na suncu.

Egyptians enjoyed goats’ milk cottage cheese, straining the whey with reed mats.

Egipćani su uživali u kozjem sitnom siru, cedeći surutku kroz rogozinu od trske.

In South Asia, milk was coagulated with a variety of food acids,

U Južnoj Aziji, mleko je zgrušavano kiselinama iz raznih namirnica,

such as lemon juice, vinegar, or yogurt

poput limunovog soka, sirćeta ili jogurta,

and then hung to dry into loafs of paneer.

a potom je vešano da se suši u vekne panira.

This soft mild cheese could be added to curries and sauces,

Ovaj meki, blagi sir je mogao da se dodaje u kari i soseve

or simply fried as a quick vegetarian dish.

ili da se prosto prži kao brzi vegetarijanski obrok.

The Greeks produced bricks of salty brined feta cheese,

Grci su proizvodili ploče usoljenog feta sira,

alongside a harder variety similar to today’s pecorino romano.

pored tvrđe vrste slične današnjem pekorinu romanu.

This grating cheese was produced in Sicily

Ovaj sir za rendanje se proizvodio u Siciliji

and used in dishes all across the Mediterranean.

i korišćen je u jelima širom Mediterana.

Under Roman rule, “dry cheese” or “caseus aridus,”

Pod rimskom vladavinom „suvi sir“ ili „caseus aridus“

became an essential ration

je postao suštinsko sledovanje

for the nearly 500,000 soldiers guarding the vast borders of the Roman Empire.

za skoro 500 000 vojnika koji su čuvali ogromne granice Rimskog carstva.

And when the Western Roman Empire collapsed,

A kada je Zapadno Rimsko carstvo palo,

cheesemaking continued to evolve

proizvodnja sira je nastavila da se razvija

in the manors that dotted the medieval European countryside.

na načine koji su bili tipični za srednjovekovna evropska sela.

In the hundreds of Benedictine monasteries scattered across Europe,

U stotinama benediktinskih manastira raspoređenih širom Evrope,

medieval monks experimented endlessly with different types of milk,

srednjovekovni kaluđeri su stalno eksperimentisali

sa različitim vrstama mleka, praksama proizvodnje sira

cheesemaking practices,

and aging processes that led to many of today’s popular cheeses.

i procesima sazrevanja koji su iznedrili mnoge trenutno popularne sireve.

Parmesan, Roquefort, Munster and several Swiss types

Parmezan, rokfor, munster i nekoliko švajcarskih vrsta

were all refined and perfected by these cheesemaking clergymen.

su sve preradili i usavršili ovi sveštenici sirari.

In the Alps, Swiss cheesemaking was particularly successful –

U Alpima, švajcarska proizvodnja sira je bila naročito uspešna -

producing a myriad of cow’s milk cheeses.

proizvodeći bezbroj sireva od kravljeg mleka.

By the end of the 14th century,

Do kraja XIV veka,

Alpine cheese from the Gruyere region of Switzerland had become so profitable

alpski sir iz oblasti Grijer u Švajcarskoj postao je toliko profitabilan

that a neighboring state invaded the Gruyere highlands

da su susedne države izvršile invaziju na grijerske visoravni

to take control of the growing cheese trade.

kako bi preuzele kontrolu nad rastućom trgovinom sira.

Cheese remained popular through the Renaissance,

Sir je ostao popularan tokom renesanse,

and the Industrial Revolution took production out of the monastery

a Industrijska revolucija je preselila proizvodnju sira iz manastira

and into machinery.

u mehanizaciju.

Today, the world produces roughly 22 billion kilograms of cheese a year,

Danas, svet proizvodi otprilike 22 milijarde kilograma sira godišnje,

shipped and consumed around the globe.

koji se izvozi i konzumira širom sveta.

But 10,000 years after its invention,

Međutim, 10 000 godina nakon njegovog otkrića,

local farms are still following in the footsteps of their Neolithic ancestors,

seoska domaćinstva i dalje idu tragovima svojih neolitskih predaka,

hand crafting one of humanity’s oldest and favorite foods.

ručno proizvodeći jednu od najstarijih i najvoljenijih namirnica čovečanstva.