Curd

For the film starring Angela Jones and William Baldwin, see Curdled (film); for the dessert sauce, see Lemon curd.

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). The increased acidity causes the milk proteins (casein) to tangle into solid masses, or "curds". 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 almost always used (e.g. bean curd, lemon curd, or curdled eggs). Curd products vary by region and include cottage cheese, quark and paneer (the latter by definition being curdled with lemon juice, thus qualifying by some definitions as a vegetarian food).

Curds left over from Crème Brûlée

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. However in India, the word 'curd' is used to mean yoghurt. In South India, it is common practice to finish any meal with few cups of 'curd rice', made by mixing rice and yoghurt. It is generally accepted to cool the body in tropical climates 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 are popularly served with french fries and gravy as poutine. In the U.S., they are breaded and fried or are eaten straight. There are also many varieties besides cheddar that are popular, 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.

Curd

See also