Cheeses of Surat
A Gujarati port city that gives its name to Surti paneer, a soft buffalo milk cheese ripened briefly in its own whey.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: November to February; Chandni Padvo falls in October or November.
Surat, on the Tapti river near the Arabian Sea, was one of the great ports of Mughal India and a trading base for the Portuguese, Dutch and English. It is a city that loves to eat, with its own snacks and sweets. Its cheese, Surti paneer, is a soft, set cheese made with rennet and sold sitting in whey, quite different from the pressed paneer of the north.
Surti paneer
Surti paneer is made from buffalo milk set with rennet, then left to ripen in its whey for up to a day and a half. It is soft, moist and slightly sour, and is sold in pieces in its liquid. The method is often credited to Portuguese influence on the coast. Parsi cooks in Gujarat also make topli nu paneer, a small basket-moulded cheese for weddings and feasts.
A city of snacks
Surat is known in Gujarat for its street food: locho, undhiyu in winter, ghari sweets for the Chandni Padvo festival, and endless farsan. Its Parsi, Bohra and Gujarati communities each have their own dairy dishes. The old city around the castle and the Chowk is where the food lanes are thickest.
A trail idea for Surat
- Surat Castle The old fort by the Tapti, a starting point for the old city.
- Chowk Bazaar The market heart of old Surat, with dairy and sweet shops nearby.
- A Parsi neighbourhood Ask about topli nu paneer and wedding food in the Parsi quarter.
- Dumas The seafront at the edge of the city, for an evening snack.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Surat" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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