CHEESE

Fernand Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II ushered in the era of Annales school longue durée historical writing. It essentially tries to encompass the geological, historical, demographic, sociological, political and biological entirety of the Mediterranean in the 16th century by referring to then current resources as well as others across time. It's awesome.

In a book of such infamously biblical scope, it is fitting that it would house some biblically bizarre anecdotes. Braudel supposedly quotes the "Bishop of Catanzaro in June, 1549":

 On the morning of Easter Day, some priests would go to the sea front, where there were many flocks, and were in the habit of celebrating mass on an altar made up of formes of cheese, afterwards blessing the cheese and the flocks and giving communion to the shepherds. The priest was then given all the cheese used to make the altar.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate any additional information or even confirmation of this Monty Python-esque episode (Braudel's only note is "Buschbell, (article: reference mislaid) p. 7, note 1," which doesn't help much.