Sitting on a Tuffet

     We all know that it was Little Miss Muffet who sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey.  But what exactly was in that bowl?  Europeans would say that she was enjoying Quark, a fresh dairy product that is created by warming sour milk until the milk proteans coagulate.  What results is a fresh acid-set kind of cheese called by different names: curd cheese, cottage cheese, or farmer cheese.  In India it is paneer, in France fromage frais and in Spanish speaking cultures it is called queso fresco.



     Quark has the firmness of sour cream but is drier, with a thick creamy texture yet somewhat crumbly at the same time.   It is a prime ingredient in sandwiches, salads and cheesecake (kasekuchen).  It is also used as a condiment on blintzes or mixed with herbs and spooned on boiled potatoes.

     Not sure it would be my first choice for a main course...