Etymology From Middle English curd, a metathetic variant of crud, crudde (“coagulated substance”). Doublet of crud.
› The coagulated part of any liquid.
1
The part of milk that coagulates when it sours or is treated with enzymes; used to make cottage cheese, dahi, etc.
Little Miss Muffet, She sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a little spider, Who sat down beside her, And frighted Miss Muffet away.1805, Songs for the Nursery, page 23:
The edible flower head of certain brassicaceous plants.
Broccoli should not be allowed to remain till the compactness of the head is broken, but should always be cut while the 'curd,' as the flowering mass is termed, is entire1865, Fearing Burr, The Field and Garden Vegetables of America:
This beautiful vegetable [Romanesco broccoli] looks rather like a green cauliflower designed by a mathematician and has lime-green 'spiralled' curds. The curds are nutty and tasty, and romanesco is worth growing just for its good looks. You can use romanesco in the same ways that you would normally use cauliflower but the flavour is sweeter and they look far more impressive. I try to leave them in large pieces when serving them because they're so beautiful.2010, Geoff Stebbings, Growing Your Own Fruit and Veg For Dummies, Chichester, W. Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, pages 162–163:
Etymology From Middle English curd, a metathetic variant of crud, crudde (“coagulated substance”). Doublet of crud.
1
To form curd; to curdle.
2
To cause to coagulate or thicken; to cause to congeal; to curdle.
Does it curd thy blood To say I am thy mother?c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]: