Cheese Database

Chhena vs Paneer

Chhena, field guide plate
Chhena, photographed

Chhena

Facts

Texture
Fresh
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
Bangladesh

Chhena is a fresh acid-set curd from Bangladesh, soft and moist, with no rind and no aging. Cooks make it by souring heated milk with a food acid, then draining the whey until the curds hold together but stay crumbly. The result is kneaded for sweets more often than it is sliced for a board. It is a kitchen ingredient, not a wheel with a cellar and a famous name. The same style of curd is also central to sweet making in neighboring parts of India.

Paneer, field guide plate
Paneer, photographed

Paneer

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Fresh
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
India

Paneer is a fresh acid-set cheese from the Indian subcontinent. Hot milk is curdled with lemon, yogurt, or another acid. There is no rennet and no aging.