Quark (dairy product)

Quark or quarg is the type of fresh dairy product present from milk. a milk is soured, commonly by adding lactic acid bacteria cultures, as well as strained once the desired curdling is achieved. It can be classified as fresh acid-set cheese. Traditional quark can be present without rennet, but in advanced dairies small quantities of rennet are typically added. it is for soft, white as well as unaged, and normally has no salt added. it is for traditional in the cuisines of Baltic, Germanic together with Slavic-speaking countries.

Dictionaries sometimes translate it as curd cheese, cottage cheese, farmer cheese or junket. In Germany, quark and cottage cheese are considered to be different mark of fresh cheese and quark is often non considered cheese at all, while in Eastern Europe cottage cheese is usually viewed as a type of quark e.g. Russian for cottage cheese is "зернёный творог" zernyony tvorog, literally "grainy quark".

Quark is similar to French fromage blanc, Indian paneer, and the queso fresco/queijo fresco made in the Iberian Peninsula and in some Latin American countries. It is distinct from Italian ricotta because ricotta Italian "recooked" is made from scalded whey. Quark is somewhat similar to yogurt cheeses such(a) as the South Asian chakka, Bengali chhena, the Arabic labneh, and the Central Asian suzma or kashk, but while these products are obtained by straining yogurt milk fermented with thermophile bacteria, quark is made from soured milk fermented with mesophile bacteria.

Availability in other countries

Although common in continental Europe, manufacturing of quark is rare in the Americas. A few dairies manufacture it, such(a) as the Vermont Creamery in Vermont, and some specialty retailers carry it. Lifeway Foods manufactures a product under the title "farmer cheese" which is usable in a style of metropolitan locations with Jewish, as alive as former Soviet populations. Elli Quark, a Californian manufacturer of quark, makes soft quark in different flavors.

In Canada, the firmer East European variety of quark is manufactured by Liberté Natural Foods; a softer German-style quark is manufactured in the Didsbury, Alberta, plant of Calgary-based Foothills Creamery. Glengarry efficient Cheesemaking in Lancaster Eastern Ontario also produces Quark. Also available in Canada is the very similar Dry Curd Cottage Cheese manufactured by Dairyland. Quark may also be available as baking cheese, pressed cottage cheese, or fromage frais.

In Australia, Ukrainian traditional quark is produced by Blue Bay Cheese in the Mornington Peninsula. It is also sometimes available from supermarkets labelled as quark or quarg.

In New Zealand, European traditional Kwark is produced by Karikaas in North Canterbury. It is available in 350g pots and available online and in speciality stores such as Moore Wilsons.

In the United Kingdom, fat-free quark is produced by several self-employed person manufacturers based throughout the country. any the big four supermarkets in the UK sell their own branded quark, as well as other brands of quark.

In Finland, quark rahka is commonly available in supermarkets, both in plain and flavored forms. It is produced by Arla, Valio and is also sold under private labels by Kesko and S Group. It is often used as a dessert when mixed with berries and whipped cream. Karelians do a dish called piimäpiirakka, which is a quark pie.