Cottage Cheese is a white, fresh cheese. The cheese is drained, but not pressed, and so much of the whey remains in the cheese. Hoop Cheese, Farmer Cheese, Pot Cheese, and Queso Blanco are similar cheeses, but these cheeses are pressed and have little or no whey left in them.

Cottage Cheese is a simple cheese, that can be made with or without rennet. The cheese has a mild taste. Cottage Cheese made with rennet is usually less acidic. The term Cottage Cheese was first used in 1848, and perhaps came from the fact that the cheese being made in "cottages" with extra milk after butter was made.

Cottage Cheese is fresh, not aged, and should be eaten within about 10 days. It has a mild taste. It can be eaten by itself, or with fruit. It is sometimes used as a substitute for Ricotta. Many people eat cottage cheese because it is low in fat and high in protein.

There are many varieties of Cottage Cheese, with different fat contents, fruit added, or different curd sizes. The curd is washed in some varieties to decrease acidity.

Some historians believe that the "curds and whey" that Little Miss Muffet ate in the famous nursery rhyme were the same or similar to what we call Cottage Cheese today.

Where to buy

In North America and many other parts of the world Cottage Cheese and similar cheeses are pretty easy to find in most grocery stores.