China wants a bigger wedge of cheese as tastes, attitudes change

Liu Yajia is a rare thing in Chinaa cheese connoisseur. She can reel off names, flavors and production processes of varieties of cheeses that few people have heard of.

A recent video of a cheese platter on her WeChat microblog drew a lot of attention.

The 36-year-old media professional is one of a growing number of Chinese developing a taste for cheese and Western foods made with cheese, such as pizza, pasta and tiramisu. For Liu, cheese is a link to European culture and tradition.

"Each cheese reminds me of the beautiful scenery and traditions of Western countries I have visited," says Liu, who discovered her taste for cheese while studying in London.

For decades, Chinese disdained cheese as little more than salty solid milk - but there are signs that attitude is waning.

According to China Customs, imports of cheese in 2014 hit 65.69 million kilograms, almost double the quantity of 2012. China's cheese market was valued at 844 million yuan by September 2015, indicating about 11 percent of Chinese families bought cheese at least once a year.

Brands including President and Anchor and varieties like Parmesan occupy ever more fridge space in Chinese supermarkets. Restaurants and online shops are also outlets. The world's largest dairy exporter, Fonterra, boasted that more than 300 million pizzas in China were dressed with its mozzarella last year.

In the 1990s, Western cheese companies adjusted their recipes - making them slightly sweeter - to suit Chinese palates.