During an excavation in 2003, a 3,600-year-old coffin was opened in the Xiaohe Cemetery in Xinjiang, China. A substance covered the neck of the mummified young woman, and although it was thought to be a piece of jewellery, scientists have now identified it as the oldest piece of cheese in the world.

Paleogeneticist, Qiaomei Fu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said: “Regular cheese is soft. This is not. It has now become really dry, dense and hard dust.”

She went on to explain that when the woman’s coffin was exhumed, it was found to be well preserved due to the dry climate of the Tarim Basin desert.

Ms Fu told NBC News she and her team took samples from three tombs in the Xiaohe Cemetery and processed the DNA so they could trace the evolution of the bacteria across thousands of years.

The samples were identified as kefir cheese, made by fermenting milk using kefir grains. There was also evidence of cow’s milk being used.

The research team said the use of kefir cheese shows how Bronze Age populations interacted and how the Xiaohe people – who were known to be genetically lactose intolerant – consumed dairy before the era of pasteurisation and refrigeration.

Ms Fu was asked if the cheese was edible and if she would try it – she responded, “no way”!