What the heck makes cottage cheese cottage cheese?!

What the heck makes cottage cheese cottage cheese?

I was just staring at some cottage cheese, what is the process it goes through to become cottaged?

I love to make homemade cottage cheese with milk fresh from my cow. You simply add mesophilic (a culture) or vegetarian rennet which starts to seperate the curds from the milk and the runoff liquid from that process becomes whey. As the curds start to set up, you draw a knife or a cheese tool through the set curds to cut them into cubes. This process is repeated until the cheese is set to the proper texture and consistancy, about 8 to 10 hours. Then, the curds are seperated from the whey (I reserve the whey to pack it in) The curds are washed, rinsed, and set in a colander to dry. You can then store the curds as "dry" cheese, or rehydrate them with the whey for standard cottage cheese. The whey can also be used as a healthy addition to smoothies or added to baked goods as a conditioner. It sounds complicated, but is quite easy. I make other homemade cheeses as well, but most of them require pressing and aging-much more involved than cottage cheese, but just as rewarding. Its a fun hobby, and the flavor surpases that which is commercially sold.