Cheese Database

Basa vs Quark

Basa

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
Croatia

Basa is a soft white cheese from Croatia, and people eat it fresh as a spread. It is made mainly from cow's milk that is heated, cooled, and set with sour milk rather than with rennet. The curd is drained until it is thick enough to spoon or to spread on bread. Salt is part of the mix, and there is no rind and no long aging. The cheese stays mild, moist, and close to fresh dairy.

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.