Ask the experts: What is quark?

Where can you buy quark from and if you can’t find it, can you use alternative products in its place?

Q: “I’ve seen quark (quarg) listed as an ingredient in some of your recipes and I’m keen to try it. But I’m having no luck finding quarg in my supermarket. Where can I get it from, and is there an alternative?”

A: Quark is a really useful ingredient. It’s a moist, light and fluffy cheese with a mild, clean flavour, and it can be used in sweet desserts such as cheesecake or mousse, or in savoury dishes as a replacement for sour cream. It’s relatively low in fat which makes it useful in healthy cooking. I like the Bouton D’or brand. This is available from supermarkets, found in the chiller with the cream cheese and sour cream.

If you can’t find it, talk to your supermarket – they’re usually very open to getting new products in stock if customers ask for them. If you still can’t get hold of quark, you could also use reduced-fat sour cream, reduced-fat ricotta, or even cottage cheese which has been blended for smoothness, to get a similar effect in your recipes.