Cheese was once referred to as "Milk's leap to immortality", and it is appropriate, since milk is the basic ingredient on the production of cheese.

The basic components of milk are moisture, various proteins, and milk fat. In the process of cheese making the protein and milk fats in milk are coagulated and concentrated into a curd mass and moisture levels are reduced when the liquid or whey is drained off.

This concentration of proteins and milk fat known as cheese, also has favorable bacteria present, which is why cheese is also referred to as a living food. Cheese is naturally preserved food that has a cycle of maturation which varies according to the type of cheese being made. Some of the most important variables that determine the type of cheese being made are moisture, milk fat, and sometimes the age of the product. We'll talk more about these factors a little later when we discuss classifying cheese.