When it comes to native Indian cheeses, paneer is usually the first thing and often the only thing that comes to mind. This soft, fresh cottage cheese is seen in everything from curries to fried snacks. However, India’s connection with cheese goes far beyond just the paneer. Across many parts of the country, communities have long been making their own unique cheeses using traditional cooking methods, local milk types, and unique fermentation techniques.
Many of these cheeses have been created out of regional lifestyles and climatic conditions. In the Himalayan parts, cheese was a way to preserve yak or cow milk in the colder regions. In coastal areas, fermentation and ageing processes created cheeses with deeper and more complex flavours. Although these regional cheeses are less widely known, they offer fascinating insights into India’s diverse culinary roots.
Why India Has So Many Lesser-Known Cheeses
Unlike Europe, where cheesemaking evolved as a large-scale ageing practice, most Indian dairy cultures historically focused on fresh milk products such as curd, butter, and ghee. However, in areas where climate or landscape made milk preservation essential, communities created their own unique cheeses. Himalayan societies used drying and fermentation techniques to extend shelf life, whereas colonial trading towns introduced salting and smoking techniques. These cheeses became not a luxury food but a reasonable solution that came to be invented by the environment, migration, and local eating practices.
5 Regional Types Of Cheese From Across India
While paneer evolved to become popular across restaurants, many regional cheeses stayed localised and rarely entered large commercial markets. Exploring them reveals how different communities historically adapted the milk into foods that suited their surroundings and lifestyles.
Kalari Cheese, Jammu & Kashmir
Often referred to as the ''mozzarella'' of the Himalaya region, kalari cheese is a classic cheese hailing from the Jammu region. Traditionally prepared by the Gujjar and Bakerwal pastoral communities of Jammu, kalari was historically prepared using fresh milk from livestock flocked across the Himalayan grazing routes. The cheese’s ability to brown and melt when fried made it especially suited to simple roadside cooking. Instead of being eaten fresh, this cheese is typically pan-fried until the outside turns crisp and golden, whereas the inside remains soft and becomes stretchy.
In local areas, it is often served in a bun with some chutney or spices, making a famous street snack which is known as kalari kulcha. Its lightly tangy flavour and chewy texture make it completely different from paneer, delivering a rustic taste that shows the region’s dairy practices.
Chhurpi, Sikkim And The Eastern Himalayas
Chhurpi is one of the oldest cheeses prepared in the Himalayan belt, especially in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and some parts of Nepal. It has two forms: a soft one and a hard one. The soft version has a resemblance to that of cottage cheese and is used in curries, soups, or in vegetable dishes. The harder one is extremely thick and is often chewed slowly like a snack.
Traditionally prepared from yak or cow milk, chhurpi is created by separating curds and whey and squeezing the curds into blocks. In Himalayan communities, the cheese has historically acted as a valuable source of delivering nutrition for people who are living in cold, mountainous regions where food preservation was important.
Not only this, Hard chhurpi is regarded as one of the world’s hardest natural cheeses and can survive for months without the need for refrigeration, which is why it has long been carried by Himalayan herders and travellers.
Bandel Cheese, West Bengal
One of the most charming cheeses in India is Bandel cheese, which hails from the Portuguese colony of Bandel, located in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, India. This cheese came to the area with Portuguese settlers who taught cheesemaking methods to the locals in the 16th or 17th century. It remains one of the very few smoked cheeses that are produced in India at present.
Bandel cheese is small, salty, and crumbly, and often sold in little circular discs. You can get it in two forms: fresh and smoked. The smoked version creates a distinctive aroma that makes it particularly memorable. The cheese is traditionally used in salads, snacks, or grated over dishes to give them a sharp flavour. Its strong saltiness and smoky taste profile make it one of the most unique cheeses in Indian cuisine.
Qudam, Ladakh
In the high-altitude area of Ladakh, cheese is closely related to the rural lifestyle of local communities. Qudam is a traditional dairy product that is made in parts of Ladakh using yak or dzo milk. Because yak milk is naturally rich in fat and protein, the resultant cheese creates a dense texture that works well in hearty mountain meals.
The cheese is often parched to extend its shelf life and then used in soups, stews, or simple meals that are eaten by herders and families residing in the mountain region. In harsh climates where the availability of fresh ingredients is limited, cheeses like qudam provide useful nutrition.
Kalimpong Cheese, West Bengal (Darjeeling Hills)
Kalimpong cheese gets its name from the hill town of Kalimpong in West Bengal. It was first made by Swiss missionaries in the early 20th century, who started making cheese in the Himalayan region using the European styles adapted to local conditions. The cheese acquired popularity during the British colonial period when it was delivered to tea plantations and military facilities in the Darjeeling hills.
The cheese has a crumbly texture and a slightly sharp, nutty flavour, which evolves stronger as it ages. Traditionally prepared from cow’s milk, Kalimpong cheese is often paired with bread or used in sandwiches or salads. Its distinctive taste and roots make it one of the most impressive examples of how global cheesemaking practices mix with local Indian dairy practices.
These cheeses rarely appear on any restaurant or cafe's menu, yet they quietly define centuries of regional knowledge about milk, climate, and preservation technique. As interest in artisanal and local foods increases, these varieties offer a reminder that India’s dairy culture extends far beyond just the paneer, shaped by landscape, migration, and communities that changed simple milk into unique culinary ingredients.