Farmer cheese is a fresh, unripened cheese made by draining milk curds until firm, with no cream stirred back in. It is closely related to pot cheese, which is drained the same way, but it should not be confused with cottage cheese: cottage cheese has cream added back to the curds, giving it a moist, uniformly wet texture, while farmer cheese is drier, denser, and can be sliced or spread like cream cheese.
Made most often from cow's milk (though goat's and sheep's milk versions exist), farmer cheese has a mild, faintly tangy flavor and a texture ranging from smooth to slightly grainy. It is a workhorse ingredient in Eastern European cooking, where it fills dumplings, blintzes, and pastries, and it appears in North American baking, dips, and breakfast dishes such as pancakes. It pairs well with fresh herbs, honey, roasted vegetables, and dried fruit.