Paneers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. Blocks or sheets of a fresh, non-melting cheese made by curdling milk and commonly used in South Asian cuisine ; individual rectangular or square slabs of a soft dairy product derived from milk, often incorporated into vegetarian dishes ; cut pieces of a creamy, crumbly cheese prepared by coagulating milk and typically cooked in various savory recipes in Indian culinary traditions
  2. Small solid pieces or slices of a fresh cheese made by acidifying heated milk, frequently utilized in cooking for added protein and texture ; portions of a coagulated milk cheese formed into firm shapes, widely found in traditional Indian cooking ; segments of a spongy, white cheese formed by the curdling process, popular in vegetarian meals and various regional dishes
  3. Portions or chunks of a fresh, homemade cheese that does not melt when heated, commonly prepared by separating curds from whey ; squares or blocks of a soft dairy product created by curdling milk with lemon juice or vinegar, often used in South Asian recipes ; pieces of a mildly flavored cheese known for holding its shape during cooking, utilized in various cuisines especially Indian vegetarian fare

Etymology: "Paneers" is simply the plural of "paneer," the soft, unsalted white cheese that is a staple of North Indian cooking. The English word was borrowed from Hindustani, where it is written पनीर or پَنِیر and pronounced "panīr," and that form traces back to Classical Persian, where "panīr" simply meant cheese. Persian cheese, in turn, reached the Indian subcontinent alongside the wider exchange of food and vocabulary between Persian-speaking courts and the regions to the east. Because the word looks like it might come from French, English speakers often pronounce it as though it were a French loanword, with a stressed final syllable and a vowel like the one in "career." This is a pseudo-Gallicism: the pronunciation has been guessed at from the spelling rather than inherited from the language the word actually came from.

Synonyms: cheese