Dairy
Curd
Curd is the coagulated milk solid formed when acid, rennet, or heat sets casein into a soft mass before pressing or ageing into cheese. As a finished product in its own right, fresh curds include paneer-style blocks, quark, farmer cheese, tvorog, and squeaky cheese curds. Mild, moist, and versatile, curds are eaten plain, fried, stirred into desserts and breads, or drained further toward cream cheese and labneh textures. Species of milk and coagulation method define firmness, yield, and flavour.
Also known as: Chhena / Paneer Curd, Quark, Tvorog, Twaróg, Fromage Frais / Faisselle, Farmer Cheese / Cheese Curds, Curd Cheese, Cagliata, Labneh Curd
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History
Early cheese-makers drained coagulated milk solids as fresh curd foods long before long-aged hard cheeses developed.
Acid-set milk solids similar to chhena and paneer became central to South Asian sweets and savoury cookery.
Central and Eastern European fresh curd cheeses such as quark and tvorog became everyday dairy staples.
Farmer cheese and cottage-style curds spread with dairy farming in North America as home and creamery products.
Industrial fresh cheese lines standardised cottage cheese, quark, and paneer for retail and food service.