Once a rarity, artisanal cheese is fairly widely available today. Ranjana Maria takes a look at what Indian fromageries have on offer
ABC Farms, Pune
ABC Farms – started in 1976 by Sohrab Chinoy, who learnt the art of cheese-making at different farms in Germany – produces over 50 varieties of cheese. The most sought after among them is the garlic-pepper boursin that's soft, creamy, salty and plays to the Indian palate with a tinge of pungency. Milder options include cheddar, edam and gouda. Milk to prepare cheese is obtained from the farm's 40 cows and ingredients for the sides such as black organic rice, brown rice, Italian lemons and fruits, are grown organic by them. ABC produces close to 200 kilo of cheese per day.
Available at:
ABC Farms' outlets (Pune and Goa) or www.bigbasket.com
Eleftheria Cheese, Mumbai
A small selection of European-inspired cheese, milk for which is sourced from dairies near Mumbai, is what you should go to Eleftheria for. "Our cheese is 100 per cent preservative free and vegetarian," says former HR professional Mausam Jotwani, who turned her kitchen into a mini creamery in 2015. They are known for the fromage blanc in flavours of garlic and parsley, chives and pepper, and dried herbs. The spreads, she says, are "similar to boursin and work for both sweet and savoury applications". Platters come with a customised mix, accompanied by crackers and chocolate.
Available at:
www.eleftheriacheese.in
The Spotted Cow Fromagerie, Mumbai
From a factory in the suburbs of Mumbai, The Spotted Cow Fromagerie by former media professionals Prateeksh and Agnay Mehra, brings out a creamy-buttery French-style bombrie, plump golden-yellow Camembert with creamy white rind and Italian-style Rombay that has a crumbly texture with a hint of lemon. The fresh cheese menu has a diverse spread – logs of cheese in caramelized hazelnuts, chives, herbs with roasted garlic, paprika and za'atar. Their French and Italian cheese is most sought after and can be baked with meat.
Available at:
Foodhall (Mumbai and Bengaluru), Oberoi Patisserie (Mumbai and Gurgaon), Living Free, Kolkata
Kase, Chennai
Chennai-based artisanal cheese makers Anuradha Krishnamurthy and Namrata Sundaresan offer 20 types of cheese ranging from mozzarella and feta (in three varients) to minted halloumi. "In place of chemicals to clean the cheese, we use sea salt with boiling hot water and vinegar," explains Sundaresan. Their gouda-style cheese, aged with sumac and za'atar rub is the most loved at Kase that was launched last June after Sundaresan took a short course at Coonoor's Acres Wild Farm stay in Tamil Nadu. For pairings you can select from fruits, relishes, bread, olives, and crackers with wine and chocolate.
Available at:
www.eatmorecheese.in
Kodai Cheese, Kodaikanal
The artisanal fromagerie was started by Sri Shankar in 1972 at Kodaikanal. Kodai Cheese, which today functions out of a 750 acre organic farm with 400 cows for fresh milk, is a family-run venture taken over his grandson Hari. They have varieties for cooking and raw consumption, ranging from gouda, feta, edam, bocconcini, extra-sharp cheese and parmesan chilly to diet cheddar and gouda in pepper and mustard. But it's best know for the Italian-inspired blue cheese.
Available at:
www.kodaidairyproducts.com, Nature's Basket
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