Chennai Cheesemakers Are Giving Artisanal Cheese an Indian Identity

Artisanal cheesemakers and culinary professionals in Chennai are experimenting with native milk, indigenous ingredients and European production techniques. Their work includes adapting cheese-making practices to the city’s hot, humid conditions rather than reproducing European recipes unchanged.

Käse, an artisanal creamery founded in 2016 by Namrata Sundaresan and Anuradha Krishnamoorthy, is among the enterprises leading this activity. The initiative initially aimed to provide sustainable livelihood skills for differently abled women before developing into an award-winning craft business.

Chennai’s climate creates challenges for moisture control, rind formation and maturation. Käse adjusts fermentation and ageing processes to local conditions, with production periods ranging from about three days for fresh cheeses to as long as three years for firm, Parmesan-style varieties.

The resulting products include cheddar covered with idli podi, cheeses containing kimchi and pickled feta. Käse’s entries at the World Cheese Awards received a Bronze for its “Lavender Fields” cheese in 2022 and a Silver for an Alpine-style washed-rind cheese in 2023. The awards recognised cheeses made with Indian milk and locally sourced botanical additions.

Demand and awareness are developing through pop-up meals, supper clubs and gourmet markets. Suneethi Raj of LocalXO said processed cheese still has nostalgic value for quick snacks, while additive-free artisanal products provide different textures, more complex expressions of place and a clean-label offering without artificial emulsifiers or preservatives.

Chefs working with craft dairies report a change in how domestic cheese is presented to consumers. The focus is moving away from treating Indian craft cheese solely as a substitute for imported products and towards highlighting regional dairy characteristics, Indian milk and local culinary traditions.