​If dairy products are included in the topic, it may be worth mentioning
Saanen cheese, the longest stored of all cheeses. Individual cheeses may be
over 200 years old, and remain edible though very hard.

It is a cheese of the same type as Sbrinz​, which is probably the hard
cheese mentioned by Columella in the 1st century AD as made in Helvetia --
though Saanen itself dates back only to the 16th century. It is made in
large wheels up to 16 inches (40 cm) in diameter, and is normally matured
for at least three years, sometimes seven.

Saanen is made only in regions of the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais.
When a child is born here, a cheese is commissioned, and tiny portions of
it are eaten on its owner's name day and other festivals. A cheese often
outlives the person it was made for, and may be consumed in their memory
for as long as any remains.

RH

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