Artisanal cheese is having a limelight moment in India—from fresh burrata and mozzarella to well-aged Gruyère and manchego, the Indian gourmand is lapping up this locally made treat like never before.

By ANUBHUTI KRISHNA

Once every month in the bright lobby of the sprawling PS Cheese Café in Hyderabad, a bunch of people get together with a common goal: to make cheese. They spend half a day learning the intricacies involved in the creation of this dairy-based delight and the other half putting theory into action—pulling, folding, and shaping perfect spheres of mozzarella that they proudly take home when prepared. Their instructor, a first-generation cheesemaker, Prashant Sinha, also provides them recipes in which their cheese can be used. Not far away, in Chennai, people come together every weekend with award-winning cheesemaker Namrata Sundaresan, co-founder of Käse Cheese, to learn how to pair cheese with coffee! And in a leafy neighbourhood of Bengaluru, there’s a perpetual queue in front of Nari & Kāge, a boutique fromagerie that offers varieties like Oaxaca, pecorino, and chèvre. And this is just a small sample of the versatile range being served up on a platter across the nation.

Interestingly, cheesemaking is not new to India. From the stretchy Kashmiri Kalari, to the crumbly Bengali Bandel, to the chewy churpi and tart Kalimpong of the Himalayas, India has a rich tradition of indigenous cheese. Given their short shelf life, however, these have always been restricted to their respective regions. Cheese, in fact, became a large-scale consumable in India when Amul started manufacturing ‘processed cheese’ in the 1970s.

MAKING OF A MOVEMENT

Artisanal cheese—made by hand in small quantities with natural ingredients—entered India almost simultaneously when Kodai Cheese set up its dairy (also in the 1970s) to make well-aged cheddar in the hills of Kodaikanal. Although an excellent product, this too remained confined to the region due to the unavailability of cold-chain transportation. And it’s just about a decade ago, as infrastructure and technology improved, that artisanal cheese began gaining momentum, with many entrepreneurs making a foray into small-scale cheesemaking.

For instance, Mausum Narang, founder of Eleftheria Cheese, started cheesemaking in 2013 when she was unable to find good-quality cheese in India. Such was the demand for her eventually award-winning cheese that she quit her corporate job and took it on full time. Food photographer Prateeksh Mehra, co-founder of The Spotted Cow Fromagerie, underwent a similar journey, where he began making cheese in his home and began to scale up upon noticing the dearth of superior cheese in the market. Like them, many artisanal cheesemakers across the country started producing this product as a hobby or experiment, gradually increasing production over time to meet the rising demand.

The credit for this increasing awareness and love for cheese, however, extends beyond these bakers. Chefs and restaurateurs played a significant part in steering the cheese culture in India, too. By using locally made cheese not just on pizzas, charcuterie boards, and grazing platters, but also on ingredient-inspired modern menus, they led the way for diners to adapt to and adopt Indian cheese like never before. Whether it is the now legendary blue cheese naan, created first by Chef Manish Mehrotra at the Indian Accent restaurant in Delhi or the Begum’s Baked Brie, a dish that combines cheese, thattai cracker, and candied gooseberry jam, by Chef Hussain Shahzad at The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai, offerings with cheese have been showing up frequently on Indian menus over the last few years.

DRIVEN BY THE CONSUMER

At the very centre of this evolving, sometimes smooth and creamy, sometimes crumbly and hard landscape is the consumer. The millennial who wants to host in style; the mature audience who knows their Brie from their Gouda; or the young, aspiring professional looking to broaden their epicurean horizons— every segment is seeking a wedge of speciality cheese, quite literally! Rising disposable incomes and consciousness about eating right may possibly have added to the interest, as well.

“The cheese market in India has aged slowly and beautifully just like Indian cheese itself,” says Mansi Jasani. The only Indian member on the jury of World Cheese Awards (where Indian cheeses have been winning for the past few years), she has been watching the segment for 12 years. The consumers, she explains, have segued into premium food and want to create gourmet experiences at home and outside. Like any other speciality foods, cheese is a big part of that experience and, therefore, becoming a much-indemand commodity.

With several producers creating world-class cheese and delivering it to the doorstep, access to fine cheese has become easier, as well. According to Shruti Golchha, co-founder of Begum Victoria Cheese, their sales have seen a manifold increase since they partnered with a quick commerce channel that delivers their products within a mere 30 minutes.

For those who prefer the touch-smell-feel experience of cheese, popups, farmers markets, and fromageries present a great opportunity to interact with cheesemakers directly. On their part, the latter are only too happy to educate, suggest flavours and pairings, and even recipes to try at home, making the whole exercise even more enriching.

ARTISANAL AND TRULY INDIAN

Like wine, the tasting notes of every cheese—and every batch—depend on its environment and raw material. So, a Gouda or a cheddar can differ from the others based on where they are made. “Cheese, specifically matured cheese, is a reflection of its terroir,” explains Sundaresan, who advises her customers to treat the flavours and aroma of the cheese as an echo of the grazing ground’s conditions (quality of the air, water, grass, and the cows). “Over months of affinage (nurturing) and with the help of microbes, simple milk is transformed into a cheese that tells the story of its provenance.” Hence, while Indian cheesemakers are making varieties of cheese from across the world, these remain unique to the place in which they are manufactured.

This allows cheesemakers to play with flavours native to India. The bestselling cheese at Käse, for instance, is smothered in podi, a dry mix of roasted urad dal and spices native to Chennai where the creamery is located. Mukteshwar-based Darima Farms’ Chilli Bomb cheese features a special Rajasthani red chillis mix. While Eleftheria’s Belper Knolle is rolled in freshly ground Kerala pepper to offer a strong, punchy kick!

These new-age Indian cheeses have indigenous names, too—Eleftheria’s Konark that won Gold at the World Cheese Awards (WCA) in 2023 is named after the wheels of the Sun Temple in Konark, which it resembles in colour and shape. Käse’s Roja references the organic rose petals that have been added to the milled-curd cheese, and Nari & Kage’s Kempe Knolle, a variety of the Swiss Belper Knolle, is named after the founder of Bengaluru, Kempegowda I.

NOT JUST A TREND

According to Sundaresan’s research, the consumption of cheese among Indians has grown from 300 grams annually to 1.4 kilograms per year over the past five years. And is expected to rise. Narang, meanwhile, puts the annual growth rate at 20-25% CAGR and market value at `250-300 crore.

“With growing domestic popularity, as well as international awards and accolades, the future of artisanal cheese in India is definitely bright,” asserts Jasani. There is also a new generation of consumers who are more aware and demanding than ever before. Now, with the first generation of cheesemakers and consumers having laid the ground for them, this means only one thing—Indian artisanal cheese is here to stay.

WORLD CHEESE AWARDS 2023

Eleftheria Cheese’s Norwegian Style Brunost and Medallion Goat Milk Fetta both win a Super Gold each. And their Konark wins Gold.

Käse Cheese’s Alpine Style Washed Rind wins Silver.

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