What are the Different Types of Cheese Popular in China?

In the land where oriental food like noodles, dumplings, and spring rolls flourish, China is one of the giant countries in Asia that has popular types of cheese. These are produced locally and are very famous among Chinese people.

China is one of the many Asian countries located in the eastern part of the continent. It is directly below another giant country Russia and is surrounded by four bodies of water, which are the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the South China Sea. For this reason, China perhaps has the good characteristics of geographical location to produce good quality cheese.

You might be surprised about some of the names of these Chinese cheeses and how they are prepared to become a well-known cheese in the region. Just continue to read below to dig for more insights about the famous type of cheeses in China.

Chura Kampo

This cheese is a yak milk-based Tibetan hard cheese. Chura Kampo is a hard cheese that has a texture that is dry, solid, and thick. It starts with soft cheese curds, like leftovers from boiling buttermilk formed into balls, noodles, or beads, then dried in the sun or the oven. Sugar or melted butter is occasionally added to the curds before drying.

Nguri

Nguri is a type of Chinese cheese from the province of Fujian. The cheese is made from buffalo milk and is formed into tiny balls with a delicate, leathery feel. Because Nguri has a distinct salty flavor, it is frequently served as an addition to rice congee.

Rubing

This is a popular Chinese cheese that is a fresh white cheese manufactured mostly by ethnic minorities such as the Naxi, Bai, and Sani in the Chinese province of Yunnan. It is prepared from goat’s or sheep’s milk. Because the cheese does not melt, it is often cooked, grilled, or stir-fried with tomatoes, carrots, and broccoli. It can be flavored or salted before serving.

Rubing is prepared by combining heated goat’s milk with a souring ingredient, originally a combination called năiténg made from a cultivated vine. Rubing is usually served steamed with local ham or salt beef, although it can also be pan-fried with salt and chili. It may also be stir-fried with vegetables, generally a combination of broccoli and carrot, in the same way as another mainland Chinese rural cuisine stir-fries tougher types of tofu. It is seldom pan-fried and offered with other flavors like málà powder.

Rushan

Rushan is a flat, leathery Chinese cheese that comes from the Chinese region of Yunnan, where it is traditionally produced by the Bai people, who call it ‘nvxseiz.’ Cow’s milk is used to make it. The cheese can be deep-fried or grilled. Rushan is often served on a stick when grilled, mainly at street food stalls, and topped with fruit preserves, chocolate syrup, or condensed milk. When deep-fried, the texture of the cheese changes, and it becomes slightly flaky.

Also known as fan cheese, it is a thin, flat cheese with a leathery feel. Cooks frequently curdle Cow’s milk with vinegar to produce this cheese. To make the final product, the curds are rolled into flat strips and frequently stretched across bamboo. Although the usage of this cheese may appear esoteric in terms of the whole continent, scientists have discovered that China is home to over a million Bai, making Rushan cheese a familiar delicacy to a broad culinary audience.

The fan cheese is rolled up with additional components into a stick form in various presentations of this cheese. Honey, chocolate syrup, and other confections are common sweeteners. Alternatively, the cheese might be deep-fried. Deep-fried Rushan often turns flaky or has a lighter texture, giving the cheese a very distinct feel. In the local villages where Rushan originated, either of these presentations is popular in street food.

Final Thoughts

Despite the common belief of having only oriental dishes in China, they also have their own version of popular cheese in their country. These cheeses could have a different kind of preparation compared to other well-known cheese in the world, but still, they all come from the milk of a goat, cow, or sheep. And all these cheeses are popularly being sold out locally and all throughout the country. They were used as leisure food and sometimes as products of local businesses.