Culinary Historians: 9,000 Years of Cheese: Fermenting Religion, Climate Change, and the Environment

Author Paul Kindstedt (Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and Its Place in Western Civilization) leads this lecture on the long and funky history of cheese—from its prehistoric origins to the current state of curds. Guests will learn how religious practices, climate change and environmental degradation shaped different varieties and established Europe as the primary producer of the popular vittle. Taste an array of cheese-based snacks at the prelecture reception (6:30pm), where they will be showcased chronologically, from ancient neolithic fromage blanc through 19th-century American cheddar.