Archaeologists discovered a 3,600-year-old coffin in northwestern China containing the oldest known cheese, laid out like jewelry along the neck of a young woman. The cheese, now dry and hard, was found in the well-preserved Bronze Age coffin at the Xiaohe Cemetery in the Tarim Basin desert. DNA analysis revealed insights into the Xiaohe people’s lifestyle and animal husbandry practices. The cheese, identified as kefir cheese, highlights its historical significance. This discovery predates other known cheese samples, with production depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs and traces in Europe dating back 7,000 years.