Questions & Answers - Definition of Schmand

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Question:

Many German recipes call for SCHMAND, I believe it is made with cream or sour cream. Do you know of a substitute?  In one recipe for a baked pasta dish, you pour it over the noodles add grated cheese and bake. Schmand comes in containers like yoghurt (200g). Thanks for your help. - Christel (10/23/02)


Answer: 

The best way to describe schmand is a fresh cream (similar to Crème Fraiche or whipping cream) that has a spoon-firm consistency. The name itself is an old rural name for cream.  As it is a lot like sour cream and has a has a lower fat content than Creme Fraiche. It is used in baking and cooking. 

Since schmand itself is not readily available in the United States (although it does exist here), a pureed combination of cream cheese and cottage cheese is a great way to make a substitution for it.