Difference Between Cheese And Paneer

Do you want to know the difference between Cheese and Paneer?

But is there even a difference between these two ingredients?

The answer is yes!

And you will get to know more about it in the following guide.

So, let’s begin.

What Is The Difference Between Cheese And Paneer?

The difference lies in their preparation methods, appearance, texture, and taste.

Despite being the byproducts of milk, the above characteristics prove to be the differentiating factors in the cheese vs. paneer comparison.

The smell could also be a differentiating factor.

But the above four factors are quite distinct in their regards and make it far easier for us to distinguish these two dairy products.

In the following guide, let’s dig deep and find further details about these milk products.

What Is Cheese?

Cheese is a milk product.

And it is obtained from the coagulation process of milk protein, i.e., Cassien.

The best thing about it is you can make it with many different types of milk, which includes milk from Cows, Buffalos, Sheep, Camels, etc.

The Cheese you get from these different milk differs a lot in appearance and taste.

As for the making, you need to use Rennet and cultures to produce a good quality of Cheese from milk.

For those who don’t know, Rennet is a collection of enzymes found in ruminant animals.

These enzymes help in coagulating the protein present in milk.

Did you know?

The first industrial Cheese production started in Switzerland in 1815.

History Of Cheese In India

As for the history, its process began when humans started to domesticate wild animals like Sheep and Cows.

However, there is no real evidence of when the first humans discovered the Cheese-making process.

In India, the invaders and travelers brought the concept of new-age Cheese-making, but the process was probably not new to the country.

It may have been present in the country for at least a few thousand years, as the Silk Route was a central part of the trade between European and Asian countries during those times.

Also, the mentions of Butter (Makkhan) in the Mythological stories do indicate that the Indians were aware of Cheese or Cheese-making methods in some form or the other.

But, as we know, the culture of making homemade Cheese never became popular in Indian households.

And it also reflects in our modern-day production figures.

While India is the largest producer of milk in the world, Indian Cheese is not as popular as Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan, and Gouda.

What Is Paneer?

Similar to Cheese, Paneer is a byproduct of milk.

It is also known as ‘Farmer’s Cheese‘ in India.

And its preparation process involves the curdling of milk.

However, the only difference here is you don’t need to use Rennet and cultures to prepare Paneer from milk.

It only requires acidic ingredients like –

• Lemon Juice
• Vinegar (Sirca)
• Yogurt
• Citric Acid

Here’s a brief look at the process:

When you boil the milk, you can add one of the above ingredients to coagulate the milk protein.

It makes the job easier to separate the Paneer from the remaining water (whey).

During this process, you can also add some flavoring ingredients like Green Chillies, Cumin Seeds, Saffron, and Salt to it.

All these ingredients help in elevating the overall taste and flavors of Paneer.

Once it’s separated, you can remove the excess water using a muslin cloth.

And that’s how Paneer is made in India!

In India, we mostly use it to prepare Punjabi curries, Mughalai Biryanis, and Pulaos.

Paneer Bhurji is another popular dish among food lovers in India.

Chenna is also a widely used form of Paneer in the eastern part of country.

You can make Rasgulla, Chhena Poda, Chenna Jalebi with this variety.

Interesting Fact:

Paneer is also quite popular in neighboring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

History Of Paneer In India

The Indian history of Paneer is as complex as Cheese.

We don’t know which type of Cheese arrived first in the country, but Paneer seems to be the obvious answer to this question.

As far as its earliest presence is concerned, the researchers did find some evidence of Paneer being used during the Indus Valley civilization.

These early settlers used Berries, Sour Leaves, and Yogurt to prepare Paneer from milk.

Apart from this evidence, you will also find its mentions in ancient Vedas.

So, it does seem like it was a part of our food culture during those times.

In the later centuries, though, the curdling of milk was not considered a sacred thing in India.

And eventually, it disappeared from Indian households.

Therefore, we don’t have the rich history of the Cheese-making processes like many other European countries.

Later, when the Mughals, Portuguese, British arrived in the country, they popularized the use of Paneer (and its variants) in various regional dishes.

And that’s how we again started to use it in different dishes.

So, technically speaking, we don’t have a long history of Paneer or Cheese-based dishes.

And as I mentioned earlier, it may have been present several thousands of years ago, but it couldn’t become a mainstream food ingredient until the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Alright now, let’s take a look at the similarities between Cheese and Paneer.

Cheese vs. Paneer: The Similarities

	Cheese	Paneer
Food Type	Dairy Product	Dairy Product
Produced From	Milk	Milk
Protein Coagulation	Required	Required
Can Be Prepared At Home	Yes	Yes
Storage	Refrigerate or Freeze	Refrigerate or Freeze
Availability	Easily Available	Easily Available

Now that you understand the similarities between these two milk products, let’s learn more about the differences.

Cheese vs. Paneer: The Differences

These are the differences between Rennet-based Cheese and Paneer.

	Cheese	Paneer
Making Process	Proteins separated using enzymes	Proteins separated using natural sour/acidic ingredients
Enzymes Required	Yes	No
Protein Separation Ingredients	Rennet, Cultures	Lemon Juice, Yogurt, Vinegar
Color	Yellow, White; Depends on the Bacterial Process	White
Texture	Soft or Hard; Depends on the variety	Mostly Hard
Melting Point	Cooking Temperature	Does not melt easily
Can Be Prepared At Home	Yes	No
Shelf Life	Months to years	Few days to a week
Mostly Used In	Pizzas, Garnishes, Salads	Indian Curries, Biryanis, Pulaos, Kebabs, Stuffings for Flatbreads, Pizzas, and Sweets
Popular Varieties	Parmesan, Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gouda, Ricotta	Cottage Cheese, Chhena
Price	High	Relatively Less

And that’s it for the differences!

I hope you enjoyed this information as much as I did while sharing it with you.

Also Read: Difference Between Atta and Maida

If you still have some queries in mind, take a look at the following FAQs section.

In this section, I have tried to answer some of the most commonly asked questions related to this topic.

Now, let’s begin!

FAQs

Over To You

As you can see above, it’s all about the technique!

It’s the technique of making Cheese that makes a lot of difference in various aspects of Rennet-based Cheese as well as Paneer.

To sum it up:

• If you use lemon juice or similar natural ingredients, you will get paneer.
• If you use Rennet and culture, you will get cheese.

Of course, there are many other processes involved in their productions.

So, what’s your favorite type of Cheese?

Is it the regular Cheese, or do you prefer Indian Paneer?

Do let me know in the comments section below.

And if you find this information useful, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family.