Cheese Database

Fromage blanc vs Quark

Fromage blanc, field guide plate
Fromage blanc, photographed

Fromage blanc

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Fresh
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
France

Fromage blanc is a fresh cow's milk cheese from France, soft and white, with no rind and no aging. The name means white cheese, and the body is smooth enough to eat with a spoon. Makers set the milk with lactic cultures, then drain the whey until the curd is thick but still moist. A plain pot tastes mildly tangy, like cultured cream that has been lightly soured. It belongs with yogurt and quark, not with pressed wheels that sit on a board for a long time.

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.