In 2010, archaeologists rediscovered the tomb belonging to Egyptian mayor Phtahmes who ruled over former capital Memphis in the 13th century.
The tomb that was first unearthed in 1885 had lost many of its valuable contents to museums and collectors.
On further inspection, archaeologists identified a solid whitish substance, which led to them enlisting the help of Dr Enrico Greco, University of Catania, Sicily.
The chemist said: “the archaeologists suspected it was a kind of food left for the owner of the tomb and they decided to ask for chemical analyses.” In a series of experiments scientists studied individual proteins in the sample to identify what the mystery substance was.
The proteins were a mixture of buffalo, sheep and goat’s milk. The sample was also hard; unlike other discoveries elsewhere, which were likely fermented milk. With further analysis, the cheese is said to contain the bacteria Brucella melitensis, which causes the life threating illness, brucellosis.
While we will never know what the cheese tastes like, Dr Greco explains how this discovery is significant for the dairy industry. He said: “Making this cheese it was necessary to develop a specific technology and procedures that did not exist before and this is a very important point in the history of dairy food.”