I first wasn't that drawn to reading this article, because the title sounded too weird. However, it's really interesting not simply for the fact that the oldest preserved cheese was found on top of mummies (the cheese is 3,600 years old), but for what kind of cheese it was, and what kind of people must have eaten it. The mummy and cheese were found in northwestern China's Taklamakan Desert, The people that lived in the area were a mix of European and Asian, and the cheese was made by kefir fermentation, which uses kefir grains, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts instead of the rennet from cows that is used to curdle our "normal" cheeses. This makes kefir the oldest-known method for dairy fermentation. Kefir products are virtually lactose-free, which enabled the lactose-intolerant Asians in the area to be able to eat the cheese. Dried kefir grains and kefir cheese also has a long shelf-life, making it very useful for these ancient people to make and consume.
http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/lumps-of-oldest-cheese-found-on-mummies-necks-140227.htm
http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/lumps-of-oldest-cheese-found-on-mummies-necks-140227.htm