The thick, lumpy part of milk that separates when it sours or when cheese is being made.
From Middle English 'crude' or 'curd,' possibly from Old French 'cruite'; the exact origin is unclear, but the word has been used since medieval times for the solid part in cheese-making.
Cheese-making is ancient chemistry—archaeologists think humans discovered it by accident around 8000 BCE when milk was transported in pouches made from animal stomachs containing natural enzymes that curdled the milk.
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