My earliest memory with cheese was my mother handing me an Amul cube while I sat in front of the TV on summer evenings. Then once I was allowed to step into the kitchen and watch her while sitting atop the counter, the memory of cheese became personal. I watched her pour fresh buffalo milk into a vessel, squeeze in some lemon, stir and wait for it to curdle like tiny clouds against the whey. She then scooped them up in a muslin cloth, drained the life out of them, and hours later, paneer emerged. We ate it in the form of a simple subzi with hot chapattis.
The curdled milk, that act of turning something ordinary into something sacred, planted in me a lifelong tenderness for India’s cheeses—humble, regional, born not only in factories but in homes, hills, and herder tents.
India is home to many things, and to trace India’s cheese map is to follow the milk trails. Paneer itself is the cartographer, appearing in every corner from street side paneer pakodas to restaurants with a myriad of paneer dishes. But the buck doesn’t stop at paneer. India is home to several kinds of cheeses, and here are the ones to know about.
Traditionally made from the milk of a chauri (a cross between a male yak and a female cow), native to the Himalayan region, Chhurpi is known as the world’s hardest cheese, and is the highest altitude cheese in India, made at altitudes exceeding 10,000 – 14,000 feet. Supremely popular in Nepal, Bhutan, and Indian states like Sikkim and the mountain regions of West Bengal including Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
It has a dense texture with a smoky flavour — prepared by pastoralists who coagulate the milk using agents like vegetable rennet, vinegar, lemon and the likes. This is allowed to ferment for a few days after which it is cut into rectangular blocks or cylinders and allowed to dry by the fire which gives them that smoky flavour. The longer it is dried, the harder and chewier the cheese turns out and if stored well, it can stay up to 20 years!
Originating from the old Portuguese settlement of Bandel along the Hooghly River, Bandel is one of India’s oldest cheeses dating back to 500 years. Introduced in the 16th century and still made by a handful of families using secret acidic agents, Bandel is salty, smoky, and crumbly. The curds are moulded into small discs, salted heavily for preservation, then smoked over cow-dung cakes until they take on a pungent, earthy depth. One version remains creamy and pale; the smoked kind turns brown. It makes for the perfect cheese to crumble over salads or smear over a cracker at tea time. What’s fascinating is that it carries the faint terroir of colonial encounters, yet remains fiercely local.
Kalari and Qudam are examples of pastoral cheeses, native to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India — handcrafted by the Gujjar and Bakarwal communities. Out of the two, Kalari is known as the mozzarella of Kashmir, prepared from the milk of buffalos, cows, sheep, and goat which is curdled and then beaten with a plunger made of local wood.
Fresh Kalari is often pan or deep fried — eaten with salt, chilli powder and other spices sprinkled atop. As it dries though, it gets tangier and smellier due to the fermentation. Mostly stuffed into fresh buns, it’s served with tomatoes, green chutney, and onions.
Qudam is similar to Kalari and made when the curd is over sourced and Kalari is not possible to make. Rare to find nowadays, Qudam is prepared from the sour curd strain and pressed into balls. Back then, it was also smoked, and hung up for weeks to dry.
Introduced by Swiss missionaries in the early 20th century, this semi-hard cow’s-milk cheese is rustic and nutty, with a crumbly heart and smooth rind. It’s pretty reminiscent of Gouda. Once a breakfast staple in Calcutta homes, it was mild enough for sandwiches, and complex enough to stand alone.
A Parsi version of paneer, Topli Na Paneer, also known as Surti paneer is a velvety delicacy that melts in your mouth. It is prepared by soaking the paneer in whey and then served in leafy baskets, best eaten directly minus accompaniments. Served mostly at Parsi weddings, Topli Na Paneer is stored with tons of care to prevent it from crumbling.
Another indigenous cheese that is native to the Eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha — made by curdling full fat cow milk. It is the unpressed cousin of paneer, and proudly forms the soul of Bengali sweets. Rasgulla, sandesh, rasmalai: without chenna’s delicate, spongy lightness, these icons wouldn’t exist. This acid set cheese is believed to have been first prepared in East India under the Portuguese influence who taught locals the technique of ‘breaking the milk’.
Possibly one of the most common forms of cheese, Khoya is produced across the country, however, it’s not traditionally recognised as an Indian cheese. Mostly known as an ingredient for making mithai, however, it is also used in savoury dishes. Across the north, khoya becomes pedas, barfis, and halwas—its caramelised sweetness becoming the backbone of festive tables. The process itself speaks of patience; hours of stirring milk until water evaporates and flavour concentrates.
India’s cheese map is not drawn in grand dairies but in small acts of passing down traditions and flavour. It is the simplicity of learning that transformation begins with a simple pan of milk and a heart willing to wait.
