When one was growing up - more than six decades ago - in a one or at best two mule town tucked in the mid-Himalayan backwaters of Uttar Pradesh, there was only one variety of cheese available and that too rarely in the store that specialised in strictly rationed, imported stuff. Krafts processed cheddar it was. It was much later that Amul made its appearance, signalling the success of the White Revolution.

There are delightful Indian cheeses being rediscovered like Kalari in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu (known in Kashmir as maish krej) — a soft mozzarella-like product that has always been there. It is made by the nomadic Gujjars who also make kudan which resembles ricotta, using the leftover whey from making kalari.

Then there is churpi, hard with a smoky flavour, considered a high-energy food that is enjoyed mostly as a chewing gum. The realm of churpi — made from yak’s milk — extends from the North Western borderland between Afghanistan and the fuzzy frontier in the North East where India meets Bhutan and Myanmar all the way through Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, Nepal and Sikkim.