Ancient Mediterranean populations might have started making cheese as early as 7,200 years ago, according to a new study.

A team of researchers found traces of fatty residue inside a pottery from the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia. This is the oldest evidence of cheese production in the Mediterranean and anywhere in the world.

"This pushes back cheese-making by 4,000 years," stated Sarah B. McClure, associate professor of anthropology and author of the study.

The team used carbon dating on bones or seeds recovered from two Neolithic archaeological sites — Pokrovnik and Danilo Bitinj — to identify the age of the pottery. Their findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE on Sept. 5.

Milk And Cheese Production Thousands Of Years Ago

Traces of lipid in potteries found from excavation sites revealed that milk had been in use as early as 7,700 years ago (5700 cal BCE) or about 500 years earlier than fermented products like cheese and yogurt.

Researchers revealed that an analysis of the population's DNA revealed that adults were lactose intolerant, so milk, at the time, was only given to children aged 10 and below as a source of hydration. Then, a few hundred years later, a cultural shift had made fermented milk products an important part of the community's diet.

McClure said that cheese was so important to the population that they even started making new types of kitchenware specifically for it.

Early Neolithic pottery, which was used to store milk, fish, and meat, is called Impressed Ware and was made using local clay made of quartz or calcite temper. They were marked with shells, fingernails, and animal teeth for decoration.

In comparison, the Middle Neolithic pottery varied in sizes and shapes. They are called Danilo pottery, which has three subtypes: Figulina, Rhyta, Sieves. The Rhyta pottery, which is characterized by rounded bodies, usually shaped like a human or animal, large openings, and distinctive handles that were used to store cheese.

Milk And Cheese Brought Longer Life

Researchers believe that the introduction of milk and later, cheese, into the population's diet might have helped their survival. Dairy, good sources of protein and fat, provided a reliable source of food in between harvest season and during drought.

Milk also reduced infant mortality in high-risk populations and decreased birth interval through early weaning. Even when adults were lactose intolerant, they reaped the benefits of milk by consuming cheese and yogurt.

In addition, researchers believe that milk allowed farmers to expand their territories to colder northern Europe.