Whether you are a cheese enthusiast or an occasional cheese enjoyer, you have heard some myths about cheeses, but how many of them are true and how many are lies?

First, cheese is a dairy product created by collecting and standardizing milk from farms. Then starter cultures are added to curdle the milk. These curds are cut, heated, and drained to get consistent results. These curds later undergo shaping, and some types of cheese must be left to age to develop their flavor. So now that we know how it is made, let's dive into some myths 

“The older, the better” is perhaps one of the most widespread myths about cheese, and even though cheese does need time to accumulate some flavor, it is not necessarily the older, the better. Some studies have shown that cheeses have a peak period during which they taste their best, but after that, those same cheeses start declining in quality. This period varies from cheese to cheese. For example, for the brie, the period would be about 6 weeks. Even though cheeses past their peak times can be more expensive, most consumers find their taste less enjoyable. 

“Cheese gives you nightmares., Although nightmares and cheese might be linked, it is probably not in the way that you think. There have been some surveys showing that subjects tended to get more nightmares if they ate cheese before bed, but this is most likely because the produce was consumed late at night, right before bed, resulting in a reduced quality of sleep, which meant the subjects would tend to remember what they dreamed about in a lot more detail. So, cheese does not make you have nightmares, but it can contribute to you recognizing them.

“If it goes moldy, it’s bad., d We throw the food away for most food when there is mold, but cheese is a special case. Mold on cheese is rarely harmful and is usually safe to consume, especially on hard cheeses. It can just be cut off, and some cheeses, like blue chees, are meant to be moldy. While soft cheeses are a bit riskier, discarding them if mold is present is recommended.  

“If you are lactose intolerant, you cannot eat cheese.” Even though cheeses are dairy products, most are low in lactose, as most lactose is removed during cheese making. It is essential to take into account that the amount of lactose depends on the type of cheese, as most hard cheeses like parmesan have less than 1 gram of lactose per serving; however, soft cheeses such as ricotta and cottage cheeses have a higher amount of lactose and must be consumed in moderation if the consumer has a lactose intolerance. 

In closing, most cheese myths are based on some facts but tend to generalize and do not consider scientific evidence, so we should be careful with what we believe, especially about food products, since they can pose serious health risks.