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That's a good question. Cream cheese is defined as cheese by USDA, so the legal answer is yes. But it is not made in the same way as other cheeses. Milk proteins are not coagulated with rennet. They are coagulated with acid from bacteria. When they reach the proper consistency, curing is abruptly halted by raising the temperature. If curing is not halted quickly enough, the product will separate into curds and whey, in which case you will have small curd cottage cheese, the other cheese made without rennet. Large curd cottage cheese is a true cheese made with rennet.

Yoghurt, sour cream, and buttermilk should be classified as cheeses because they are coagulated with rennet and cultured. They are not called cheeses because they are liquid and, in the case of yoghurt, because of historic class distinctions between "real cheese" made in cities versus "fermented milk" made by country people.

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12y ago

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