Dairy's unlikely new champion is a centuries-old Indian cheese

Given the current obsession with plant-based cooking, cheese might seem like a food in decline.

But curd consumption has risen 19 per cent in the past de­cade, according to recent data from the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Resea­rch Service. It’s the main catal­yst of per capita dairy consum­ption. Last year was great for the dairy case, as sales grew $7 billion from a year earlier to $61 billion, according to Madison, Wisconsin-based International Dairy Deli Bakery Association.

At Kroger Company, the second-best-selling overall product of 2020 was four-cheese Mexican blend. (Zero-calorie soft drinks were No. 1.)

Now an under-the-radar cheese is making inroads in the US, even though it’s been aro­und since the 1500s. Paneer, the firm cheese that’s a staple of Indian menus, is the hero ingredient in the go-to vegetarian dish saag paneer.

There are several reasons for the groundswell. Paneer is high in protein and fat, which makes it a keto favourite. And because it’s got a high melting point, it keeps its shape when it’s cooked, making it a good candidate for centre-of-the-plate vegetarian dishes.

Unlike many faux-meat options, however, paneer is clean-label, meaning it’s made with minimal ingredients.

There’s also increased culinary interest in its place of origin. Searches for “Indian res­ta­urants near me” rose 350 per cent last year on Google Trends. “Paneer maker” was up 140 per cent. “Indian cuisine has grown in popularity, and people have become more int­erested in learning to make it at home,” says Joey Wells, global senior principal for product development at Whole Foods Market. 

Paneer sales are up, he adds: “We continue to see growth in the category overall.”

Unlike the case of another breakout cheese, halloumi, which had an entire country — Cyprus — propelling it forward, the rise of paneer has been pushed by a couple of artisans on the East and West coasts.