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EveryCow

Curd and fermented milk

Quark

Soft fresh curd of German and Central European kitchens, used in cheesecake, dumplings and with potatoes and linseed oil.

Quark is a fresh, unripened curd made by souring milk until it sets, then gently warming and straining it. It is soft, white and mild, between yoghurt and cottage cheese. In Germany it is eaten every day, in Poland it is twaróg and in Russia tvorog. Much of its use is in cooking and baking, from cheesecake to sweet and savoury dumplings.

What goes in

Skimmed or whole milk: 71%71%Lactic cultures: 7%Rennet: 7%Cream: 14%14%4parts
  • Skimmed or whole milk1071%, Pasteurised.
  • Lactic cultures17%, Sour and set the milk.
  • Rennet17%, A little, in some recipes.
  • Cream214%, Added back for richer kinds.

Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each input's share of the product.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house and herd to herd; this is one traditional way, in outline.

  1. Step 1: Ferment Warm the milk and stir in lactic cultures and a drop of rennet.
  2. Step 2: Set Leave it until it sets to a soft curd.
  3. Step 3: Cook Cut and gently warm the curd so it releases whey.
  4. Step 4: Strain Strain it in cloth until thick.
  5. Step 5: Serve Beat it smooth and serve or bake.
  6. Skimmed or whole milk: 71%71%Lactic cultures: 7%Rennet: 7%Cream: 14%14%
    Finished Quark, by share.

Making it

Milk is soured with lactic cultures, sometimes with a little rennet, and left to set. The curd is cut, warmed slightly and strained in cloth or by machine until the whey runs off. Fat content is adjusted by adding cream back. In farmhouses, soured milk was simply hung in a cloth bag overnight.

In the kitchen

German Käsekuchen is made with quark rather than cream cheese, and Saxony's Eierschecke layers it with custard. Pellkartoffeln mit Quark, boiled potatoes with herbed quark and linseed oil, is a classic of eastern Germany and the Sorbian lands. Polish pierogi ruskie mix twaróg with potato, and Russian syrniki are fried tvorog pancakes.

Where it is used

CheesecakePotatoes with linseed oilDumplings and pierogi

The breeds behind it

German Black PiedOld lowland dairy breed of northern Germany.FleckviehDual-purpose breed of southern Germany and Austria.VorderwaldBlack Forest dual-purpose breed.Polish RedNative dairy breed of southern Poland.

More on EveryCow

No breeds here yet. New pages are added every day.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryCow desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and dairy makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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