Acid curd cheese

A cheese produced by the microbial ripening of quarg, with ripening proceeding from the outside of the cheese inward. The cultures employed — bacteria, fungi and yeasts selected according to the cheese type — colonise the surface first and their enzymes gradually transform the interior, developing flavour, aroma and texture over weeks. This outside-in ripening distinguishes it from cheeses matured uniformly throughout. It belongs to the family of fresh acid-coagulated cheeses, but its defining feature is the deliberate surface-driven maturation that turns plain quarg into a characterful ripened product.