Cheese Database

Quark vs Tyrolean grey

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.

Tyrolean grey

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Austria

Tyrolean grey is an Austrian sour-milk cheese made from cow's milk, and it is a ripened loaf rather than a fresh tub of quark. The cheese is low in fat because the milk is skimmed, and the set comes from acid rather than from rennet. A grey mold on the surface gives the cheese its name. The smell is strong, and the taste runs from sour in a young piece to sharp and savory when the loaf is ripe.