What is the difference between Greek yogurt and quark?
Both made from milk, both thick, white and creamy. So what exactly is the difference between Greek yogurt and quark? And can you use quark in a dish if the recipe calls for yogurt, and vice versa?
Although they look more or less the same in your breakfast bowl with granola and some fruit, quark and yogurt really are two different things. In fact, quark is more similar to cheese. The similarities are significant: both are made from milk to which lactic acid bacteria are added. Thinking now: yuck, bacteria? Don’t panic, these are beneficial bacteria that make the milk taste more acidic, become thicker and last longer than regular milk.
Official yogurt
Yogurt must always contain lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus. If it doesn’t, it is officially not yogurt – that’s what it says in the Dutch Commodities Act. Quark can also be made with other cultures, meaning bacteria, but usually they are the same two as in yogurt. Add extra cream to the milk you want to make yogurt from, and let the yogurt drain for a while, and you get that deliciously thick, creamy Greek yogurt. Not light, but incredibly tasty!
Almost cheese
Real quark is actually very young cheese. That’s why it’s also called ‘fromage blanc’ in French, white cheese. To make cheese, you have to make milk more acidic and then add rennet. The rennet makes the milk thicker. Let some more liquid drain away and voilà, quark. The Dutch Consumers’ Association website states that not all quark is made in that old-fashioned, it’s-almost-young-cheese way. They write: sometimes it is more like thickened yogurt than real quark.
Substitute?
You’re out of yogurt, but still have some quark. Can you simply substitute it? No problem. Be a little careful if you have a recipe in which the yogurt or quark needs to be heated; quark in particular can separate and develop a slightly lumpy texture, like cottage cheese. It’s better to add it last minute, or just use thick yogurt instead.
