Explore culture and cuisine at UNM Maxwell Museum’s lecture and cheese tasting

Cheese is immensely popular in America, to the point that it is estimated that people consume 42 pounds per person per year. Did you know that this beloved food item was created over 11,000 years ago, when certain environmental factors came together at the right time through one of the oldest fermentation processes?

This Saturday, April 18, from 2 - 4 p.m., the public can learn more about this historical process at The University of New Mexico's Hibben Center for Archaeology Research.

UNM's Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, in partnership with the New Mexico Cheese Guild, is hosting renowned food scientist and Professor Emeritus, Paul Kindstedt, from the University of Vermont, who will deep dive into how human migration, cultural diffusion and climate shaped the dairy processes we know today.

Kindstedt will also share how it was introduced to the Americas by Spanish colonizers, permanently changing the agricultural landscape of the Western Hemisphere.

Attendees' tickets include admission to the current Entangled Cultures exhibit at the Maxwell Museum before the lecture and a post-talk reception featuring a cheese tasting and an opportunity to meet Kindstedt.

• 1 - 2 p.m.: Access to the Entangled Cultures exhibit with the exhibit curator, Toni Gentilli, and featured speaker Dr. Paul Kindstedt.
• 2 - 3 p.m.: Featured lecture in the Hibben Center.
• 3 - 4 p.m.: Post-talk reception with a ticket for curated cheese samples in the Atrium.

To secure your spot, a registration fee of $45 to the New Mexico Cheese Guild is required to attend. Maxwell Museum members receive a 25% discount code.

To learn more about the event, visit the event webpage.