India is a land of cultural variety, and there is certainly no exception when it comes to food as there are various dishes such as Punjabi Saag, Kerala fish curry, Kashmiri Gushtaba, Pondicherry Ratatouille which belong to different states of India according to their tastes and culture. India’s rich history has woven through the authentic Indigenous population, sultanates, Mughal inventions and colonial empires.
Given all the cultures and food variety, there is one question in mind: Why did cheese not get a place in Indian food? There is one anomaly to the rule regarding cheese in India – Paneer. It is likely the only type of cheese you will find in your local indian restaurant in Wollongong. Paneer is made by boiling milk with an acidic substance such as soured whey, lemon juice, vinegar, etc. As a result, the milk is curdled, and the liquid remnants are separated, with the row slowly forming and cooling the Paneer.
There are a few reasons why India doesn’t have cheese platters, as Indians value the cow and all milk products to a level where they revere it. So, they didn’t believe in curdling milk or preserving it until it became spoiled.
Paneer was presented to the Indian diet by Middle Eastern invaders as they had different opinions about milk. Most of the time, it was the invaders themselves who consumed these products, compared to the locals, who didn’t acquire a taste for Paneer. There are many Indians who were not exposed to foreign impacts for them to start developing a new cheese culture. So, very few locals in India were exposed to cheese consumption.
A product similar to the Paneer called Chenna was presented to East India by the Portuguese in the 17th century. They started using Chenna in dessert, so the thought of culturing, curing and ageing never developed. What cheese meant to Indians differed greatly from how it was developed in the West.
At Crown Indian Cuisine, we present you Paneer as a cheese platter with different textures. Also, we welcome you to indulge in the spiciest cheese recipes found in Indian restaurants in Wollongong. We are crafting dishes tirelessly to serve the hottest and classic Indian food options according to your needs. We follow strict restrictions and guidelines to ensure proper hygiene and authentic taste for your dishes for the best result.