Cheese ripening the cheese by fungi to occur. Mould-ripened cheeses ripen faster than hard cheeses, in weeks as opposed to the typical months or even years. This is because the fungi used are more biochemically active than the starter bacteria. Where the ripening occurs is largely dependent on the type of cheese: some cheeses are surface-ripened by moulds, such as Camembert and Brie; and some are ripened internally, such as Stilton. Surface ripening of some cheeses, such as Saint-Nectaire cheese, may also be influenced by yeasts which contribute flavour and coat texture. Others are allowed by the cheesemaker to develop bacterial surface
History of cheese recorded the Roman tradition that Zoroaster had lived on cheese. By Roman times, cheese-making was a mature art and common food group. Columella's "De Re Rustica" (circa 65 CE) details a cheese-making process involving rennet coagulation, pressing of the curd, salting, and aging. Pliny's "Natural History" (77 CE) devotes two chapters (XI, 96-97) to the diversity of cheeses enjoyed by Romans of the early Empire. He stated that the best cheeses came from "pagi" near Nîmes, and were identifiable as Lozère and Gévaudan and had to be eaten fresh. Most cheeses were initially recorded in the late Middle Ages. Cheddar