Cottage cheese works wonders!

Cottage cheese can rightfully be called a favorite product of nutritionists, because in terms of its nutritional qualities and versatility of use, it can compete on equal terms with such food leaders as bread and milk. And everyone knows about the beneficial qualities of this dairy product - even infants, into whose diet pediatricians recommend introducing cottage cheese from 5-7 months. In addition, cottage cheese is so organically accepted by our body that it is included in almost any diet and helps maintain a slim figure.

Cottage cheese is a protein fermented milk product obtained by fermenting milk and then removing the whey. It is officially customary to classify cottage cheese produced in the traditional way according to its fat content. In accordance with this, a distinction is made between fat (18%), semi-fat (9%) and low-fat cottage cheese (no more than 3%). Soft dietary cottage cheese is also classified as semi-fat.

It is interesting that the words “cottage cheese” and “cheese” are clearly distinguished in Russian only now. And earlier, in Old Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian and some other Slavic languages, the word “sir” meant both cheese itself and cottage cheese. Therefore, for quite a long time everything made from cottage cheese was called “cheese” (for example, cheesecakes).

Cottage cheese protein is “complete” and contains all the essential amino acids. The degree of digestibility of cottage cheese protein by the human body is slightly higher than that of meat protein.

Types of cottage cheese:

1. Skim cheese
2. With additives (raisins, dried fruits, nuts, candied fruits, etc.)
3. Curd
4. Calcined
5. Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese (or rather, curd grain) is the initial product in the making of cheese. The technologies for making different types of cheese differ significantly from each other, which is the reason for the wide variety of cheeses traditionally made in different countries, but the starting product is always cottage cheese.

In Central Asia, cottage cheese products such as kurt and eremshik are very popular. Kurt is made from pressed salted cottage cheese, from which balls or pyramids weighing approximately 50-60 grams are formed. The kurt is then dried and eaten. According to GOST, there is fatty (12%) and low-fat (0%), salted and unsalted kurt. Eremshik (irimshik) is a product popular among the population of Kazakhstan. It is prepared from milk curdled with rennet starter. Curdled milk is heated until the resulting curd turns yellowish-brown. Then the clot is poured into a cloth bag (usually serpyanka), the serum is allowed to drain and dried.

Use in cooking:

Syrniki - a dish of Russian and Ukrainian cuisine in the form of cottage cheese pancakes; fried flatbreads made from cottage cheese mixed with flour and eggs.

Cheesecake is a pastry product of ancient Slavic, Ukrainian and Russian cuisine. Cheesecakes are round flatbreads filled with cottage cheese, open at the top and pinched only at the edges.

Vareniki is a Ukrainian national dish made from wheat dough filled with cottage cheese.

So, cottage cheese is a universal dairy product that is actively used in the cooking of many nations. Not only is it healthy, but it also helps create delicious dishes!