Scientists have discovered a bizarre link between music and cheese. Different genres of music affect the way cheese matures. A top Swiss cheese-maker and a team of researchers from Switzerland's Bern University conducted a six-month test to look into the effect music had on the maturation process of Emmental cheese. After the cheese had matured, it was sampled and assessed by the researchers and a jury of culinary cheese experts. The researchers found that cheese that had been played hip-hop had a stronger aroma and flavor than the other samples. The cheese aficionados reached the same conclusion as the researchers - the hip-hop cheese was the tastiest.
The experiment involved exposing different cheeses to a 24-hour, non-stop musical loop. A music player directed sound waves at the cheese for six months. The experiment was titled "Cheese in Surround Sound". The music included Mozart's "The Magic Flute," Led Zeppelins rock classic "Stairway to Heaven," and A Tribe Called Quest's hip-hop tune "Jazz (We've Got)". A researcher explained the differences in taste. He said: "Bacteria are responsible for the formation of the taste of cheese, with the enzymes that influence its maturity. I am convinced that humidity, temperature or nutrients are not the only things that influence taste. Sounds, ultrasounds or music can also have physical effects."
