curd

Etymology

From Middle English curd, a metathetic variant of crud, crudde (“coagulated substance”). More at crud.

noun

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
2. The coagulated part of any liquid.
3. 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 entire 1865, 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, pages 162–163

verb

1. (intransitive) To form curd; to curdle.
2. (transitive) To cause to coagulate or thicken; to cause to congeal; to curdle.