Cheese in the Bible: What Kinds?

 This post is about a culinary topic and its relation to the Bible. The Bible mentions cheese several times, though the information on the type is scant:

1 Samuel 17:18

Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.

Job 10:10

‘Did You not pour me out like milk

And curdle me like cheese;

1 Samuel 17:17-18

Then Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.

2 Samuel 17:27-29

Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, to eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

Cheese also is mentioned in these cases (taken from Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization)

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day . . . So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

Genesis 18:1, 6–8

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.

Isaiah 7:14–15

With all the above verses in mind, we know cheese curds were commonly consumed, as well as some larger cheeses. While there is slim archeological data, a few conclusions can be drawn to figure out the general types of cheese made.

1. First off, given the Israelites raised cows and sheep, and given both were considered clean animals for consumption, cow and sheep milk were the most likely source for all cheese products.

2. The Israelites, like many contemporaries in the same region, were certainly familiar with rennet-based coagulation methods for making cheese. It was a common cheese production method in Bronze Age cultures, and would have made the most sense since no evidence of plant-based rennet substitutes has been discovered for that time period and location.

3. Cheese is described in curd and cut forms. With this in mind, the whey (the liquid drainage after separation from the curds) was likely fed to livestock for further growth. Ergo, only the curds were retained. The fact cheese was made in cut forms, apparently transportable and used for military rations would support more sophisticated cheese-making methods than simple milk curdling and separation of the curds.

4. According to the Books of the Law, fermentation of some sorts was approved for food like wine, and milk was considered acceptable to consume. However, due to restrictions on preventing the spread of mold and mildew, the making of cheeses with a bloomy rind (purposely infused with a mold culture) would have been unacceptable. Given the above verses indicate cheese was available in a portable form, served in bulk, and, could survive primitive transport with little to no loss of flavor, that would preclude any soft cheeses since those must be eaten very soon after being created else they would quickly spoil.

5. Further evidence can be drawn to narrow down the range of cheese that was stored further. Given the importance of salt to the Israelites and its cheap prevalence, not to mention its use in food purity and preservation, it is thus likely most cheeses made for long-term storage were salted and had pressed together curds so they would attain a dry outer rind. This would provide for a long-storing cheese, retard insects and ward off rotting, and not fall afoul of religious dietary prohibitions on unclean foods.

6. In conclusion, the Israelites generally preferred the "harder" cheeses for reasons of health, storage, transport, and retaining freshness without rotting.