🥣 Tvorog
Also known as: quark, curd cheese, farmer cheese, twaróg
Soured milk with the whey removed.
Tvorog is a white fermented milk product made by souring milk and then removing the whey. The milk is cultured with lactic acid bacteria (the acid method) or with a starter plus a small amount of rennet (the acid-rennet method). The resulting curd is cut and gently warmed so the whey separates, then drained or pressed.
Tvorog is traditional in Eastern, Northern and partly Central Europe. By fat content it is divided into fat-free, low-fat, classic and full-fat; by texture it can be soft, crumbly or large-curd. It is used to make syrniki, varenyky, bakes, Easter paskha, glazed curd snacks and fillings for pastries.
Its close relatives are German quark and American cottage cheese. Quark is usually softer and smoother, while cottage cheese consists of washed curd grains mixed with cream and salt. Tvorog is sometimes classed as a fresh acid-set cheese, since the technology is close to cheesemaking without ripening.
Composition per 100 g
| Fat | 4.3 g |
|---|---|
| Protein | 11.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.38 g |
| Energy | 98 kcal |
| Calcium | 83 mg |
Source: USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd
How it connects to milk
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- Made from
- 🥛 Milk
- What is made from it
- 🧀 Curd snack, 🥞 Syrniki, 🧀 Whey
- How it is made
- 🔄 Fermentation
- Where it is stored or sold
- 🧺 Market
- What it contains
- 🧪 Casein
- Associated with
- 🥛 Milk
- Where it is traditional
- 🌍 Eastern Europe, 🌍 Central Europe
- Which peoples make it
- 🧑🤝🧑 Ukrainians, 🧑🤝🧑 Belarusians
- Product type
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products
- Part of
- 🥣 Fermented milk products
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between tvorog and cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese is washed curd grains in salted cream, while tvorog is pressed or drained curd with nothing added. So they differ noticeably in taste and texture.
Is tvorog a cheese?
Technologically it is close to fresh acid-set cheeses: it is casein curd without the whey, but unripened. In Eastern European tradition it is considered a separate product.
How much milk does it take to make 1 kg of tvorog?
Roughly 6–7 litres of milk per kg of tvorog; the exact figure depends on the fat content of the milk and the moisture of the product.
Comparisons
Recipes
Similar
🥣 Sour cream · 🧀 Ryazhenka · 🧀 Varenets · 🧀 Soured milk · 🥣 Skyr · 🥣 Viili
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.