Historically, the English word ‘cheese’, the Spanish word ‘queso’, the Dutch word ‘kaas’ and the German word ‘kaese’ all come from the Latin ‘caseus’ which is also where the modern word casein (major protein found in milk) is derived.
Meanwhile, the French ‘fromage’ and the Italian ‘formaggio’ also come from Latin, but refer to the ‘forma’, the basket or wooden box in which compressed curds were molded to make cheese.
Something tells me I’d be much more of a linguist if only they still taught Latin when I was at school!
For those interested in ensuring they get served cheese no matter where they are in the world here’s a handy list of worldwide words for ‘cheese’ to pack with your passport:
Danish – Ost
Finnish – Juusto
Hebrew – Gvina
Japanese – Chiizu
Chinese – Nai Lao
Indonesian – Keju
Arabic – Gibn
Turkish – Peynir
Armenian – Banir
Hindi – Chiz
