Everything about Curd totally explained
Curd is a
dairy product obtained by
curdling (coagulating)
milk with
rennet or an edible
acidic substance such as
lemon juice or
vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion (called
whey). Milk that has been left to sour (raw milk alone or pasteurized milk with added
lactic acid bacteria) will also naturally produce curds, and
sour milk cheese is produced this way. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins (
casein) to tangle into solid masses, or "curds". The rest, which contains only
whey proteins, is the whey. In cow's milk, 80% of the proteins are caseins. Curd products vary by region and include
cottage cheese,
quark (both curdled by bacteria and sometimes also rennet) and
paneer (curdled with lemon juice). The word can also refer to a non-dairy substance of similar appearance or consistency, though in these cases a modifier or the word
curdled is generally used (for example
bean curd,
lemon curd, or curdled eggs).
In
Asia, curd is essentially a
vegetarian preparation using
yeast to ferment the milk. In the
Indian subcontinent,
buffalo milk is used for curd due to its higher fat content making a thicker curd. The quality of curd depends on the starter used. The time taken to curdle also varies with the seasons taking less than 6 hours in hot weather and up to 16 hours in cold weather. In the industry, an optimal temperature of 43°C for 4-6 hours is used for preparation. However in
India, the word 'curd' is used to mean
yoghurt. In
India, it's common practice to finish any meal with curd or
buttermilk. In
Tamil Nadu,
South India, it's customary to have few cups of '
curd rice', made by mixing rice and yoghurt. And, in North India,
lassi is consumed. It is generally accepted to cool the body in
tropical climates, counter the generally spicy cuisine of India and is nutritious.
Cheese curds are popular in some
French-speaking regions of Canada such as
Quebec and parts of
Ontario as well as in the
Midwest of the
United States. They are freshly made morsels of
cheddar cheese before being pressed and aged. In Quebec, they're popularly served with
french fries and
gravy as
poutine. In some parts of the U.S., they're breaded and fried or are eaten straight. Fresh cheese curds squeak against the teeth as they're bitten. There are also many popular varieties besides cheddar, such as white cheeses and flavored cheeses (
pepper,
garlic,
butter,
lemon, etc). The cheeses themselves are not flavored but rather lightly coated with a powdered flavor, natural or not, similar to
potato chips.
Further Information
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