farmer cheese

Farmer Cheese

Farmer cheese (also farmer's cheese or farmers' cheese) is an unripened cheese made by adding bacterial starter and rennet to acidify milk. After coagulation, it is cut into curds and whey, and the whey is drained off.^[1] The drained curds are cottage cheese. At this point, the cottage cheese is retaining moisture. Pressing out some of this moisture to create a malleable solid results in pot cheese. Further pressing most of this moisture out and forming the resultant solid into a dry, crumbly single unit creates farmer's cheese.

Farmer's cheese is often used for fillings in blintzes, pierogies, and other foods. It is sometimes rolled in a mixture of herbs and flavorings, or wrapped in very thin slices of flavorful smoked meats. Around the world, farmer cheese is variably made from milk from cows, sheep, or goats, each with its own final texture and nuance of flavor.

The French name for this cheese is Neufchâtel.^[2] It has many different names in various countries. While often compared to paneer from Indian cuisine, paneer is curdled with an acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) rather than the rennet used for farmer's cheese.

In North America

In Canada, the term "farmer's cheese" refers to a different type of hard white cheese that does not have a rind and is firm but springy in texture. It is mild, milky and buttery in flavor. Canadian "farmer's cheese" may be used in a similar fashion to Colby or Cheddar. In the Upper Midwest, Farmer's cheese is a semi-soft white cheese made from part-skim milk^[3].

Images

See also

• Queso blanco, a Mexican farmer cheese

References

[[1]] A recipe for how to make Farmer's Cheese.
[[2]] How to make Neufchâtel.