Soft Cheese vs Wagashi Cheese
Soft Cheese is a spreadable, smooth to runny cow, goat, or sheep-milk cheese, while Wagashi Cheese is compact and made from cow milk.
Buy Soft Cheese
Buy Wagashi Cheese
What Is Soft Cheese?
Soft cheese is the moisture category at the wet end of the scale, holding 55 to 80 percent moisture against its dry weight. It covers soft-ripened cheeses like Brie and Camembert, some blue and pasta filata cheeses, and fresh cheeses, and it is known for being spreadable.
What Is Wagashi Cheese?
Wagashi is a soft cow's milk cheese from northern Benin, sold in quantity in Parakou and across the West African savanna. It is mild in flavor and almost always cooked, usually in a sauce eaten with pounded yams or millet or maize pâte.
What's the Difference Between Soft Cheese and Wagashi Cheese?
- Milk type: Soft Cheese (cow, goat, sheep), Wagashi Cheese (Cow’s milk)
- Texture: Soft Cheese (spreadable, smooth to runny), Wagashi Cheese (Compact)
- Rind: Soft Cheese (bloomy white mold rind, or washed), Wagashi Cheese (red wax coating)
- Aging: Soft Cheese (unmatured to about 1 month), Wagashi Cheese (Fresh or dried)
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Soft Cheese | Wagashi Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Specific Origin | — | Sahel Region |
| Milk Type | Cow, goat, sheep | Cow’s milk |
| Milk Treatment | — | Heated |
| Texture | Spreadable, smooth to runny | Compact |
| Rind | Bloomy white mold rind, or washed | Red wax coating |
| Aging | Unmatured to about 1 month | Fresh or dried |
| Taste | Mild | Mild |
Taste Comparison: Does Soft Cheese Taste Like Wagashi Cheese?
Soft Cheese reads as mild, while Wagashi Cheese brings mild character. Aging plays into this as well. Soft Cheese at unmatured to about 1 month develops a different profile than Wagashi Cheese at fresh or dried.
Can You Substitute Soft Cheese for Wagashi Cheese?
Soft Cheese can stand in for Wagashi Cheese in many dishes, but the switch will shift the overall character of the recipe. Expect spreadable, smooth to runny bite and body where the recipe calls for compact.
Which Is Better, Soft Cheese or Wagashi Cheese?
There's no single winner. It depends on your recipe and the profile you want. If you want a spreadable, smooth to runny cheese, go with Soft Cheese. For a compact profile, Wagashi Cheese is the better fit.
Which is your favorite?
One click, anonymous. See what others chose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Soft Cheese the same as Wagashi Cheese?
No, they're distinct cheeses. Soft Cheese is made from cow, goat, or sheep milk; Wagashi Cheese uses cow. Aging also differs: Soft Cheese is typically aged unmatured to about 1 month, Wagashi Cheese fresh or dried.
Is Soft Cheese similar to Wagashi Cheese?
Not closely. They use different milk bases and have distinct profiles.
Can I substitute Soft Cheese for Wagashi Cheese?
You can, but expect a shift in richness and milk character.
Does Soft Cheese taste like Wagashi Cheese?
Soft Cheese reads as mild, while Wagashi Cheese is mild.
What is Soft Cheese made of?
Soft Cheese is made from cow, goat, or sheep milk. It's typically aged unmatured to about 1 month.
What is Wagashi Cheese made of?
Wagashi Cheese is made from cow milk (heated), using calotropis procera latex rennet. It's typically aged fresh or dried.
Which should I choose, Soft Cheese or Wagashi Cheese?
It depends on the dish. The texture difference is the biggest practical tell. Soft Cheese is spreadable, smooth to runny, while Wagashi Cheese is compact.