Anliu
A staple food for the Aqāye people of the Koyau Plains of the eastern Ēwie, cheesemaking was likely a product of accidental coagulation of tuehma milk rather than an intentional invention. What began as a new and relatively easy way to produce well-keeping food for the nomadic herders, became one of their most sought-after food items as trade with the surrounding civilizations became more common.
Northeastern Variations
The northeastern tribes of Aqāye engaged in frequent trade with the coastal cities of Ralisu people, from where they could obtain sea salt to further dry and cure the cheeses, creating something harder and better lasting than the cheeses of old.
Northwestern Variations
In the northeast, weather tended to be colder and drier as the Aqāye clans and their herds neared the World Mountains to the west. Their cheeses were milder in general, and lacked the imaginative flavors of the southern varieties.
Southeastern Variations
Intense flavors marked by a tint of saltiness color the flavor profile of many southeastern cheeses, while herbs and berries consumed by the herded tuehma brought out a fresh tang welcomed and encouraged by the Aqāye, who led the tuehma into places where said flora was found in plentiful numbers.
Southwestern Variations
The southwestern Aqāye tribes came to be known partly by their habit of smoking cheese to dry it out and preserve it for a longer period of time. Their cheeses held a taste of woods and smoke, and a bit of freshness from the herbs, fruits and berries enjoyed by their herds of tuehma.
History
Tuehmas often produced more milk than their calves required. The Aqāye stored the milk into pouches made from tuehma stomachs as something their children could drink before they grew out of the ability. However, sometimes the milk would curdle when not consumed soon enough. The people noticed they could eat this hardened liquid and their bodies handled it much better than fresh milk. Thus was born the art of cheesemaking in the vast, empty plains of the east.
Over time the Aqāye mastered the basic preparation of cheese, and began to experiment with new flavors and ingredients out of curiosity. Fruit and berries, nuts and the like—if there was an ingredient that could be thrown into the mix, there was a clan who tried to do so. And although the basic item of hardened milk remained the most common, variations quickly began to grow in size and shape and composition.
Cheese of Tuehma
Comments