It’s soft; it’s delicious and yummy. One bite of it will make you drive into its juicy river. You can cook various delicacies, by various tastes of India. You can add Punjabi tadka to it, you can add Bengali touch to it or you can give it a North-eastern outlook.
1. Paneer is usually cooked and eaten rather than being eaten raw as the mild juicy stuff is able to absorb strong flavour.
2. The word paneer originates from the word ‘panir’, which is the general word for cheese.
3. Though the origin of paneer is not yet discovered, many say paneer was introduced to India by the Persians in the 13th Century.
4. Indian food historian K.T Achaya says that cudling of milk was well established during Indus civilization. It was fermented with sour green leaves, barks and berries. Loose milk curds, an early form of paneer, were combined with yoghurt and spices to make sweets.
5. The most common variation of paneer is chhena or chhana. They are loose , unset paneer curds which are separated from whey. Sometimes they are not pressed or made into cubes. When still warm, they are kneaded along with sugar , to make famous Bengali sweets known as (mishti) in Bengal like rasgulla, rasmalai and sandesh.
6. Chhena is also used in savoury dishes like kebab and koftas.
7. There are various variations of paneer found all over India. These are, Surti paneer from Surat in Western India, which is aged in whey for upto three days. Dhaka ponir is another kind of paneer which is made from raw milk cheese made from animal rennet which is drained and moulded in small bamboo baskets.
8. 100 grams of paneer contain 20 grams of fat and protein and less than 2 grams of carbohydrates.
9. Paneer is considered the best alternative to meat for a protein – rich diet.
10. Paneer is said to reduce the risk of cancer.
11. Paneer has low-lactose count. As the lactose is broken down significantly during the curdling process, which gets broken down into much more digestible lactic acid.
12. Paneer is also known as Indian Cottage Cheese. It tastes similar to American Cottage Cheese.
13. A product similar to paneer is found in Mexico and Caribbean Island.
14. A product similar to paneer is white , unripened cheese from milk coagulated by rennet is referred to as kareish in Egypt.
15. Paneer is to vegetarians what chicken is to non-vegetarians.
16. Nutrients in paneer helps to loose weight.
17. Paneer also helps to keep your tummy full for a long time.
18. Paneer is considered good for those who are suffering from diabetes or are diabetic.
19. Paneer is considered beneficial during pregnancy.
Conclusion:-
Thus we can say that paneer is the perfect source of nutrient, delicacy, and yumilicious that you can add in your food.