Closest thing to curd?

Hi, what is the closest thing to curd that you can buy in Japanese supermarkets? I don't mean the cottage cheese variation but the basic least processed curd.

i've never found it, the easiest thing to do is just make your own by buying rennet from an online shop and then using it in milk that is NON UHT pasteurized. UHT pasteurized milk won't turn into curd properly.

it sounds complicated but it's not, in reality it takes about 30 minutes to make and you don't even have to be there during most of the process, just to stir it once then strain it out once it's formed into curd.

rennet tablets can be bought for around 200yen for a box with enough rennet from a cheese making supplier to make years and years worth of curd.

Thank you, winterwolf.

That's a shame. Quark-like curd is the main part of my breakfast (with oats, nuts, honey, and banana). I guess I will have to settle then for some thick low fat yoghurt. Out of curiosity: how much does yoghurt cost?

About 100-200 yen per 500 ml. FYI, most Japanese yogurts are not very thick. You'll probably have to try a few until you find a brand you like.

thankfully you can also make yogurt yourself very easily, once you find a brand of yogurt you like you can just pour a lump of it into a 1L carton of room temperature milk and it'll convert the entire carton of milk into yogurt in a few hours. cheaper than buying it at the store!

If you strain yogurt (store bought or homemade) through a thin cotton cloth (wrap it up and let it hang for an hour at least), you will get something very quark-like to my taste.

I think I won't be able to perform any culinary alchemy during my trip, as I will be cyclo touring across Japan. At least now I know not to search for something that won't be there, when I get there. I am not too picky though. Curd is out, yogurt in. Thick one isn't common? Then I will have to sample my way through the variety to the thick sort (this may be a little cultural adventure/discovery in itself :-)). I will have 90 days for that. Thanks

Greek style thick yoghurt is available, though it's quite pricey. (Small cup of 80g for JPY180.)
http://www.partheno-gy.jp/product/index.html
You may find it in big supermarkets, in case you really miss it during your trip...

I don't know what curd is, but I wonder if it's very different from mozzarella cheese which is very commonly sold at supermarkets.

Otherwise, what's discribed here sounds very much like what you get if you drain yogurt.

Or department stores may carry something even similar to curd.

I don't know what curd is, but I wonder if it's very different from mozzarella cheese which is very commonly sold at supermarkets.


A fitting curd definition (that I found somewhere on the web).

Also called baker's cheese, quark (curd) is a kind of unripened, soft cheese which resembles either a very thick sour cream or cream cheese or a fine-textured cottage cheese.

Quark can be used instead of butter in pie crusts and pastry doughs, as a filling in sweet or savoury cakes and pies and in various desserts like cheesecakes, mousses, puddings, pancake batters, etc. It is much used in cooking in Finland, Germany, Russia and other Eastern European countries. Plain or variously flavoured quark products, often sold in pots like yogurt, are popular snacks and desserts in many countries.

Greek style thick yoghurt is available, though it's quite pricey. (Small cup of 80g for JPY180.)

That's pricey indeed. So what do people usually buy when they feel like yogurt?

Ordinary yoghurt costs around JPY200 for 500g, as yllwsmrf mentioned earlier.
It is this particular yoghurt which is expensive.

Something similar to Quark is maybe Mascarpone, Italian fresh cheese.
Imported one can be quite expensive, the one by Yukijirushi (Snow Brand) is slightly better, JPY215 for 100g. You can find it in supermarkets.
http://www.meg-snow.com/products/natural-cheese/82d2.html

Fromage blanc (French fresh cheese) is also available but you need to go to deparmentstores or a place handling a wider range of dairy products.
Its level of price is similar to Mascarpone, unfortunately.

So what do people usually buy when they feel like yogurt?

They go to their local grocery store, convenience store, or corner market and buy yogurt.

There is a major difference between mascarpone and quark in terms of fat content. While mascarpone is a fatty nightmare (40% fat), quark is probably the healthiest dairy product out there. The one that's used for direct consumption has only 0.5% of fat content.

I think I will settle for the ordinary yogurt (I hope they sell them in smaller containers too), especially if the Japanese Yen keeps appreciating :-)

If you are cycling away from the major cities where some international foods are available, you might check soft tofu.
It is available everywhere even in a small remote town and very cheap.
Check the nutritional values of a typical tofu, i.e. protein, fat, calcium, iron, calorie, etc.

I was also thinking that okara or tofu might be an acceptable substitute.

And yes, ordinary yogurt is sold in 500 ml tubs as well as individual cups. Be aware that the individual cups are often presweetened.

I agree that tofu can be a good substitute.
There are extremely soft type of tofu which is really good - usually it is in a round tub while ordinary tofu is in a square/oblong container.

But I do not think okara would work - it's like mashed bran and cannot be eaten as it is, also it easily goes bad especially in summer...

Tofu - what a perfect suggestion! The nutritional profile is almost identical to quark. I see that there are two types of soft tofu - Kinugoshi-dofu and Zara-dofu. I shouldn't have problems locating and recognizing them in the stores, right?

Thanks guys. It would have never crossed my mind. The only tofu I have eaten eaten was Thai crispy fried tofu my ex-GF used to make.

I've never heard of 'zara-tofu' - could it be a local name for 'momen dofu, which is a common name?

Momen (cotten) is harder with less moisture than kinugoshji tofu (kinu means silk).

Kinugoshi 絹（きぬ）ごし
Momen 木綿（もめん）

You would see either of the above kanji/kana on the package.

If you are cycling away from the major cities where some international foods are available, you might check soft tofu.
It is available everywhere even in a small remote town and very cheap.
Check the nutritional values of a typical tofu, i.e. protein, fat, calcium, iron, calorie, etc.

You might find tofu in the ready-to-eat tetra brick pack in the city supermarket that you can take anywhere good for traveling and no need to refrigerate. They are as good as any fresh tofu & not as big as a plastic container-packaged fresh tofu in water you find at a supermarket. But it may be still too much for one meal but cheap enough.
I buy them often to keep in the shelf so when I didn't have fresh tofu, I use soft, firm or extra firm depending on my cooking.
There are also hydrated tofu packages that you add just water.