Cheese Making

Description

The Cherokee did not make cheese pre-contact. However, after the early 1700’s, they did! They incorporated dairy and dairy products into traditional diets of what could be grown, hunted, or gathered in their homeland: corn, beans, squash (the “Three Sisters”), wild greens, nuts, berries, fish, game, and foraged foods like ramps and mushrooms. While the Cherokee did raise animals such as dogs and later adopted livestock (after European introduction of pigs, cows, and chickens), dairy products like cheese were not part of their pre-contact foodways.

After European contact, the Cherokee—like many Native nations—adopted new foods and technologies, including dairy animals. In the 18th and 19th centuries, some Cherokee households began consuming milk, butter, and even cheese, especially as they were encouraged or forced to farm in European styles.

We teach simple, easy to follow recipes without cultures and expensive equipment. We use raw cow’s milk but many of the recipes require the milk to be boiled. Recipes taught in our cheese making classes include: Gouda, Farmer’s Cheese, Mozarella, Cheese Spreads, Cheese Curds