What Are Cheese Curds? Canada's Favourite Fresh Cheese Explained

If you've ever been to a sugar shack, a county fair, or a good poutine spot, you've probably encountered cheese curds. They're a beloved staple in Canadian food culture — but what exactly are they, and how are they different from regular cheese?

The Short Answer

Cheese curds are fresh cheddar — cheddar before it's been pressed into a wheel and aged. They're produced as a natural step in the cheesemaking process, collected right after the curds have been cut and cooked, before any aging takes place. The result is a soft, mild, slightly salty morsel with a texture unlike any aged cheese.

How Cheese Curds Are Made

The process starts exactly the same as cheddar: milk, bacterial cultures, rennet, and salt. After the rennet causes the milk to coagulate, the curd is cut into small pieces and gently cooked to expel whey. At this stage, the fresh curds are separated — some are set aside as cheese curds, while the rest continue on to be pressed into blocks and aged into cheddar.

What makes cheese curds unique is what happens (or rather, doesn't happen) next: they're not pressed, not molded, not aged. They go from vat to bag within hours.

The Famous Squeak

Fresh cheese curds squeak against your teeth when you bite into them. That distinctive squeak is caused by the elastic protein structure of very fresh cheese — it's a sign the curds were made recently. As curds age (even just a day or two), the protein structure relaxes and the squeak fades. True fresh curds are best eaten the same day they're made.

Cheese Curds vs. Aged Cheddar

The Best Ways to Enjoy Cheese Curds

• Plain: Straight from the bag, ideally still warm from the dairy. The purist's choice.
• Poutine: The classic. Cheese curds over fries, smothered in gravy — a Canadian institution.
• Fried cheese curds: Battered and deep-fried until golden outside and molten inside. A county fair staple for good reason.
• On a cheese board: Add fresh curds alongside aged cheddars for a contrast in texture and intensity — a great way to taste the before-and-after of the aging process.

From Curds to Balderson Cheddar

Understanding cheese curds gives you a new appreciation for what aging actually does. The mild, springy curd you eat fresh is the starting point — and with time, careful conditions, and traditional cheddaring technique, it becomes the bold, crystalline, award-winning cheddar that Balderson has been producing in the Ottawa Valley since 1881.

Explore Balderson's aged cheddars →