Say cheese!

India’s cheese story is being rewritten in cafes and kitchens by a generation that’s exposed to diverse flavours while appreciating local food, says Swatee Jog.

When Belagavi-based Dr Varsha Sathe invited her close friends and well-wishers for the inauguration of her venture, she had one request for the brunch menu - it must contain cheeses. So, there it was, proudly finding place on the grazing board - wedges of different kinds of cheese mingling with toasts, crackers and fruits. The guests were seen enjoying the cheese as if it was the main dish!

If you feel cheese is a Western delicacy, you’re in for a surprise. India’s story of its own cheese lived quietly in its corners for Centuries - in monastery kitchens of the Himalayas and in small pockets of Bengal shaped by old trade winds, for example. These cheeses weren’t photographed, paired or spoken about on food blogs. They simply existed, woven into local meals and memories.

Today, these cherished flavours are finding a new voice, thanks to a generation that is keen to try and appreciates indigenous foods and is exposed to diverse flavours. In gourmet cafes, in weekend house parties, and in home kitchens where curiosity is rewriting the menu, India is rediscovering its traditional cheeses - while also creating entirely new ones.