There are countless varieties of cheese found throughout the world, from soft goat cheese to the particularly fragrant Limburger. But there's one type of cheese that has an exceptionally amazing shelf life: chhurpi, a Nepalese cheese that can last up to 20 years. Popularly consumed in remote villages deep in the Himalayas, chhurpi has a smoky flavor and tough consistency; the cheese is so hard it's typically chewed like gum. Creating chhurpi starts with milk from yaks, cows, buffaloes, and chauris — an animal that's a cross between a yak and a cow — which is then fermented for up to a year. Dehydrating the chunks of cheese removes most of its moisture, making it safe to eat without refrigeration for up to two decades, a helpful quality in a region where access to fresh foods is somewhat limited.
Made in Nepal or otherwise, all varieties of hard cheese undergo the same process to reach their firm texture and sharp flavor. Every cheese begins with milk that's been blended with the bacteria responsible for giving the final product a specific flavor (like Lactococcus lactis used in cheddar, or Streptococcus thermophilus used to make Swiss), and some curds retain more liquid in the shaping and aging process. Soft cheeses have more moisture, which is why they attract bacteria and spoil easily without refrigeration, while hard cheeses have drastically less (making them safer to eat without chilling). Cheesemakers are able to achieve this lack of moisture by pressing, heating, or salting newly formed blocks of cheese to draw out as much water as possible. Aging cheese, often for three years or longer, further saps its moisture levels, and gives hard cheeses that crumbly texture so perfectly paired with crackers — or just enjoyed on its own.
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