Cheese Database

Afuega'l Pitu vs Quark

Afuega'l Pitu

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
Spain
Place
Grado

Afuega'l Pitu is a soft cow's milk cheese from Grado, in northern Spain. Traditional batches use unpasteurized milk, while some dairies now sell a pasteurized cheese, so the label is worth a look. Makers shape it as a small truncated cone or as a round bundle drained in cloth. The white cheese stays plain, and the red cheese is worked with paprika before it is formed. In Asturian speech, the name refers to a paste that can stick in the throat.

Quark, field guide plate
Quark, photographed

Quark

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Fresh
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
Germany

Quark is a fresh acid-set cheese from Germany, made from cow's milk and eaten soon after the curd is drained. The body is smooth and spoonable, closer to a thick soft cheese than to a sliced wheel. Rennet is slight or absent, so the set comes from lactic acid rather than from a long press. German cooks keep it for savory spreads and for baking. It has no rind, and it is not aged into a hard cheese.