Egyptian cheese (   ) has a long history, and cheese is an important part of the modern Egyptian diet. There is evidence of cheese-making over 5,000 years ago in the time of the First Dynasty of Egypt. In the Middle Ages Damietta was famous for its soft, white pickled cheese. Cheese was also imported, and the common hard yellow cheese takes its name "Roumy" from the word for "foreign". Cheeses may be made from the milk of: buffaloes, cows, sheep, goat or camels. Although many rural people still make their own cheese, notably the fermented mish, today a growing quantity is produced in modern state-owned or private processing plants. Cheese is often served with breakfast, is included in several traditional main course dishes, and is an ingredient in some popular deserts. There is a range of different varieties of Egyptian cheese.