History of cheese in Russia

Despite the fact that the history of cheese in Russia is deeply rooted in the past of ancient Rus', the official appearance of hard cheese in our country is associated with the name of the great autocrat Peter the Great, who brought this dairy product from Holland, massively popularized it and established large-scale industrial production.

But in fact, the appearance of cheese on our territory was earlier. There is evidence that even in pagan times, the Slavs sacrificed this particular dairy product to their gods, and also consumed it during all kinds of pagan festivals. There are facts that in the 10th-11th centuries the Slavs paid them tribute to the Germans. And the very concept of cheese goes back far into Slavic history. This is a derivative of the word raw: the Slavs curdled milk without additional effort, i.e. in fact, in a “raw” way.

But still, this protein product, so beloved by all bodybuilders, became widespread precisely under Peter the Great. Having visited Holland, the king was amazed by the taste of the overseas delicacy. After this, the idea came to organize its preparation at home. For this purpose, real professional cheese makers were brought from Holland. It is this moment in the history of Russia that is rightfully considered the starting point in the industrial production of the popular dairy product, although in fact, the first cheese-making plant on the territory of the Russian state was opened only in 1875 under the management of a foreign cheesemaker. This was done on the territory of the Tver province on the estate of Prince Meshchensky. And five years later, in 1880, Chester cheese produced at this plant was appreciated in London at the International Food Exhibition.

So, the real beginning of the industrial production of our favorite delicacy in Russia is considered to be 1886, when a cheese factory was founded in the village of Otrokovichi, Tver province, under the leadership of Count Vereshchagin. Before this, he studied in Europe, worked himself and learned about cheese making. By the end of the 19th century, Russian cheese was recognized far beyond the country's borders. Poshekhonsky, Yaroslavsky, Uglichesky - the names are directly related to the places of production. They were exhibited at numerous exhibitions, competitions, etc.