Indians love their cheese! From paneer to cheddar, cheese makes everything better. The trick, however, lies in pairing the right cheese with the right sort of food. Cheese is a great source of protein. It’s recommended that cheese should be a part of your balanced diet, in the right quantity. A good way to consume balanced amounts of cheese every day is by putting them in your salad. Along with being full of green veggies and fibres, putting cheese in your salad, gives it the right nutritious boost. Cheese is also a great source of calcium.
If you’re wondering which cheese goes well with which salad, here’s a guide for beginners.
1. Feta
Feta cheese is made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk and is soft and crumbly in texture. In taste, feta is tangy and salty and is one of the most popular cheeses to pair with salads. Feta pairs best with Greek salad that has an assortment of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Other salads that you can pair with feta include watermelon, onion and cucumber salad, kale and pear salad, quinoa salad with olives and tomatoes and watermelon and arugula salad.
2. Mozzarella
Everyone’s favourite, mozzarella cheese is a southern Italian cheese made from an Italian buffalo’s milk. There are many variations of mozzarella that are formulated and prepared for use on different food items like pizza, salads etc. Mozzarella cheese that’s made for use in salads goes well with caprese salad. This salad is made from fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and sweet basil and is seasoned with olive oil and salt. Mozzarella cheese also pairs well with a romaine salad full of cucumbers, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. For a punch of taste, you could try fried mozzarella with a tomato and arugula salad too.
3. Parmesan
This cheese is made from cow’s milk and is aged for at least 12 years. Also called the Parmigiano-Reggiano, parmesan cheese is referred to as the king of cheeses. A popular choice to be used over salads, this cheese is grated or shaved over the dish. The most common salad that parmesan cheese is used in, is Caesar salad, however it’ll go well with just about any salad including pasta salad, olive green salad, Italian celery salad and a simple arugula pomegranate salad.
4. Burrata
Burrata is a combination of mozzarella with cream. It is an Italian cow milk cheese. In texture, the outer surface of Burrata is solid and the inner layer is stracciatella (a type of cheese) and cream. The best salad to pair burrata with is the fresh tomatoes and arugula salad. You could also pair it with cucumber and radish salad and relish it with tomato and peach salad.