Quark (dairy product)

Quarkorquargis a type of freshdairy productmade from milk. The milk issoured, usually by addinglactic acid bacteriacultures, and strained once the desiredcurdlingis achieved. It can be classified asfreshacid-set cheese. Traditional quark can be made withoutrennet, but in modern dairies small quantities of rennet are typically added. It is soft, white and unaged, and usually has no salt added.
Quark and its dryer variantTvorogis traditional in the cuisines ofBaltic,GermanicandSlavic-speaking countries as well as amongstAshkenazi Jewsand variousTurkic peoples.
Dictionaries sometimes translate it ascurd cheese,cottage cheese,farmer cheeseorjunket. In Germany, quark and cottage cheese are considered different types offresh cheeseand quark is often not considered cheese at all, while in Eastern Europe cottage cheese is usually viewed as a type of quark (e.g. theUkrainianword "сир"syris a general term for any cheese or quark).
Quark is similar to Frenchfromage blanc. It is distinct from Italianricottabecause ricotta (Italian"recooked") is made from scaldedwhey. Quark is somewhat similar toyogurt cheesessuch as the South Asianchak(k)a, the Arabiclabneh, and the Central Asiansuzmaor Persiankashk, but while these products are obtained by strainingyogurt(milk fermented withthermophilebacteria), quark is made fromsoured milkfermented withmesophilebacteria.
Quark is possibly described byTacitusin his bookGermaniaaslac concretum("thick milk"), eaten byGermanic peoples.However, this could also have meantsoured milkor any other kind offresh cheeseorfermented milk product.
Although quark is sometimes referred to loosely as a type of "cottage cheese", they can be distinguished by the different production aspects and textural quality, with the cottage cheese grains described as more chewy or meaty.
The wordQuark(LateMiddle High German:quarc, twarc, zwarg;Lower Saxon:dwarg), with usage in German documented since the 14th century,is thought to derive from aWest Slavicequivalent,such asLower Sorbiantwarog,Upper Sorbiantwaroh,Polishtwaróg,CzechandSlovaktvaroh.The word is also cognate withRussianтворог(tvorog) andBelarusianтварог(tvaroh).
The originalOld Church Slavonicтварогъ(tvarogъ) is supposed to be related to theChurch Slavonicтворъ,tvor, meaning "form".The meaning can thus be interpreted as "milk that solidified and took a form".The word formation is thus similar to that of theItalianformaggioandFrenchfromage.
The Slavic words may also be cognate with theGreekname for cheese,τῡρός(tūrós).A cognate term for quark,túró, is used inHungarian.
Cognates also occur in Scandinavia (Danishkvark,NorwegianandSwedishkvarg) and the Netherlands (Dutchkwark). TheOld Englishform isgeþweor.
Other German forms includeQuarck,andQuargel (Quärgel).
In several languages quark is also known as "white cheese" (French:fromage blanc, southernGerman:Weißkäseorweißer Käs,Hebrew:גבינה לבנה,romanized:gevina levana,Lithuanian:baltas sūris,Polish:biały ser,Serbian:beli sir), as opposed to any rennet-set "yellow cheese".Another French name for it isfromage frais(fresh cheese), where the difference tofromage blancis defined by French legislation: a product namedfromage fraismust contain live cultures when sold, whereas withfromage blancfermentation has been halted.InSwiss French, it is usually calledséré.
In Israel,gevina levanadenotes the creamy variety similar to the German types of quark.The firmer version which was introduced to Israel during theAliyah of the 1990sby immigrants from the former Soviet Union is differentiated astvorog.
In Austria, the nameTopfen(pot cheese) is common.InFlanders, it is calledplattekaas(runny cheese). InFinnish, it is known asrahka, while inEstonianaskohupiim(foamy milk), inLithuanianasvarškės sūris(curd cheese), inUkrainianit is frequently calledcир(syr), and inLatvianis known asbiezpiens(thick milk). Among the Albanians quark is known asgjizë.
Quark is a member of theacid-set cheesegroup, whosecoagulationmainly relies on the acidity produced bylactic acid bacteriafeeding on thelactose.But moderate amounts ofrennethave also been in use, both at the home consumption level and the industrial level.
Manufacture of quark normally usespasteurizedskim milkas the main ingredient, but cream can be added later to adjust fat content.The lactic acid bacteria are introduced in the form ofmesophilicLactococcusstarter cultures.In the dairy industry today, quark is mostly produced with a small quantity of rennet, added after the culture when the solution is still only slightly acidic (ph 6.1).The solution will then continue to acidify, allowed to reach an approximatepHof 4.6.At this point, the acidity causes thecaseinproteins in the milk to beginprecipitating.
In Germany, it is continuously stirred to prevent hardening, resulting in a thick, creamy texture.According to German regulations on cheese (Käseverordnung), "fresh cheeses" (Frischkäse) such as quark or cottage cheese must contain at least 73% water in the fat-free component.German quark is usually sold in plastic tubs. This type of quark has the firmness ofsour creambut is slightly drier, resulting in a somewhat crumbly texture (likericotta).
Basic quark contains about 0.2% fat; this basic quark or skimmed quark (Magerquark) must under German law have less than 10% fat bydry mass.Quark with higher fat content is made by adding cream after cooling.It has a smooth and creamy texture, and is slightly sweet (unlikesour cream). A firmer version calledSchichtkäse(layer cheese) is often used for baking.Schichtkäseis distinguished from quark by having an added layer of cream sandwiched between two layers of quark.
Quark may be flavored with herbs, spices, or fruit.In general, the dry mass of quark has 1% to 40%fat;most of the rest isprotein(80% of which is casein),calcium, andphosphate.
In the 19th century, there was no industrial production of quark (as end-product) and it was produced entirely for home use.In the traditional home-made process, the milk would be allowed to let stand until it soured naturally by the presence of naturally occurring bacteria, although the hardening could be encouraged with the addition of somerennet.
Some or most of the whey is removed to standardize the quark to the desired thickness. Traditionally, this is done by hanging the cheese in amuslinbagor a loosely woven cottongauzecalledcheeseclothand letting the whey drip off,which gives quark its distinctive shape of a wedge with rounded edges. In industrial production, however, cheese is separated from whey in acentrifugeand later formed into blocks.
Variations in quark preparation occur across different regions of Germany and Austria.Most of the Austrian and other Central and Eastern European varieties contain less whey and are therefore drier and more solid than the German and Scandinavian ones.
In the Netherlands, many products labelled "kwark" are not based on quark as described in this article (freshacid-set cheese), but instead a thickyogurt-like product made using yogurt bacteria (such asStreptococcus thermophilusandLactobacillus acidophilus) in a quicker process using a centrifuge.
Under Russian governmental regulations,tvorogis distinguished from cheeses, and classified as a separate type of dairy product.Typicaltvorogusually contain 65–80% water out of the total mass.
Various cuisines feature quark as an ingredient for appetizers, salads, main dishes, side dishes and desserts.
In Germany, quark is sold in cubic plastic tubs and usually comes in three different varieties,Magerquark(skimmed quark, <10% fat by dry mass.), "regular" quark (20% fat in dry mass) andSahnequark("creamy quark", 40% fat in dry mass) with added cream. Similar gradations in fat content are also common in Eastern Europe.
WhileMagerquarkis often used for baking or is eaten as breakfast with a side of fruit ormuesli,Sahnequarkalso forms the basis of a large number of quark desserts (calledQuarkspeisewhen homemade orQuarkdessertwhen sold in German).
Much likeyoghurtsin some parts of the world, these foods mostly come with fruit flavoring (Früchtequark, fruit quark), sometimes withvanillaand are often also simply referred to as quark.
One common use for quark is in makingcheesecakecalledKäsekuchenorQuarkkuchenin Germany.Quark cheesecake is calledTopfenkuchenin Austria. TheQuarktortein Switzerland may be equivalent, though this has also been described as atortethat combines quark and cream.
In neighboring Netherlands there is a different variant; these cakes, calledkwarktaartin Dutch, usually have a cookie crumb crust, and the quark is typically mixed withwhipped cream,gelatine, andsugar. These cakes do not require baking or frying, but instead are placed in therefrigeratorto firm up.They may be made with quark or with the yogurt-like quark that is common in the Netherlands (see above).
In Austria,Topfenis commonly used in baking for desserts like above-mentionedTopfenkuchen,TopfenstrudelandTopfen-Palatschinken(Topfen-filled crèpes).
Quark is also often used as an ingredient forsandwiches,salads, and savory dishes. Quark, vegetable oil and wheat flour are the ingredients of a popular kind of baking powder leaveneddoughcalledQuarkölteig("quark oil dough"), used inGerman cuisineas an alternative toyeast-leavened dough in home baking, since it is considerably easier to handle and requires no rising period. The resulting baked goods look and taste very similar to yeast-leavened goods, although they do not last as long and are thus usually consumed immediately after baking.
In Germany, quark mixed with choppedonionsand herbs such asparsleyandchivesis calledKräuterquark. Kräuterquark is commonly eaten with boiled potatoes and has some similarity totzatzikiwhich is based onyoghurt.
Quark withlinseed oiland potatoes is the national dish of theSorbsinLusatiaand an iconic dish inBrandenburgand parts ofSaxony. Quark also has been used amongAshkenazi Jews.
Desserts using quarks (Russiantvorogetc.) in Slavic regions include thetvarohovníkin Slovakia,tvarožníkin Czech Republic,sernikin Poland, andsyrnykin Ukraine) and cheese pancakes (syrniki/syrnykyin Russia and Ukraine).
In Poland,twarógis mixed with mashed potatoes to produce a filling forpierogi.Twarógis also used to makegnocchi-shaped dumplings calledleniwe pierogi("lazy pierogi"). Ukrainian recipes forvarenykyorlinyvi varenykyare similar butsyrand mashed potatoes are different fillings which are usually not mixed together.
In Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus,tvorog(Belarusian:тварог, Russian:творог, Ukrainian:сир) is highly popular and is bought frequently or made at home by almost every family. In Russian families, it is especially recommended for growing babies. It can be enjoyed simply with sour cream, or jam, sugar, sugar condensed milk, or as a breakfast food. It is often used as a stuffing inblinchiki/nalysnykyoffered at many fast-food restaurants. It is also commonly used as the base for making Easter cakes. It is mixed with eggs, sugar,raisinsand nuts and dried into a solid pyramid-shaped mass calledpaskha/syrna paska. The mass can also be fried, then known assyrniki/syrnyky.
In Latvia, quark is eaten savory mixed with sour cream and scallions onrye breador with potatoes. In desserts, quark is commonly baked intobiezpiena plātsmaize, a crusted sheet cake baked with or without raisins. A sweetened treatbiezpiena sieriņš(small curd cheese) is made of small sweetened blocks of quark dipped inchocolate.
Although common in continental Europe, manufacturing of quark is rare in theAmericas.A few dairies manufacture it, such as theVermont CreameryinVermont,and some specialty retailers carry it.Lifeway Foodsmanufactures a product under the title "farmer cheese" which is available in a variety of metropolitan locations withJewish, as well as formerSovietpopulations.Elli Quark, a Californian manufacturer of quark, offers soft quark in different flavors.
In Canada, the firmer East European variety of quark is manufactured byLiberté Natural Foods;a softer German-style quark is manufactured in theDidsbury, Alberta, plant of Calgary-based Foothills Creamery.Glengarry Fine Cheesemaking inLancaster(Eastern Ontario) also produces Quark.Also available in Canada is the very similar Dry Curd Cottage Cheese manufactured byDairyland.Quark may also be available asbaking cheese,pressed cottage cheese, orfromage frais.
InAustralia, Ukrainian traditional quark is produced by Blue Bay Cheese in theMornington Peninsula.It is also sometimes available from supermarkets labelled as quark or quarg.
InNew Zealand, European traditional Kwark is produced by Karikaas inNorth Canterbury.It is available in 350 g pots and available online and in speciality stores such as Moore Wilsons.
In the United Kingdom, fat-free quark is produced by several independent manufacturers based throughout the country.All the big foursupermarkets in the UKsell 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 byArla,Valioand is also sold underprivate labelsbyKeskoandS Group.It is often used as a dessert when mixed with berries and whipped cream.Karelianshave a dish calledpiimäpiirakka, which is a quark pie.