It all begins with a drink. A creamy beverage most of us have a carton of in our refrigerators. Milk is the beginning of a whole host of dairy products that have been fermented into staples in our diets; yoghurt, cheese, soft serves, you name it. They can come from cows, sheep, goats or even camels and we've gotten pretty creative with what we can culture from it.
Here's how some countries have reimagined cultured dairy.
Here's how some countries have reimagined cultured dairy.
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TURKEY
Product: Ayran
Also known as doogh or tan, ayran is a salted cold yoghurt beverage mixed with iced water. It's typically served chilled, accompanying a spicy meal of grilled meats and rice. The tartness wakes the palate and the cold creaminess of the drink offers diners a nice respite after an assault of spices.
SCOTLAND
Product: Blaand
When people think Scotland, they think scotch whisky. But long before that became synonymous with country, there was blaand. Introduced to Scotland by the Vikings in the 9th Century, blaand is an alcoholic beverage that isn't a wine, beer or spirit. It's an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting whey, the byproduct from butter and cheese making.
Product: Ayran
Also known as doogh or tan, ayran is a salted cold yoghurt beverage mixed with iced water. It's typically served chilled, accompanying a spicy meal of grilled meats and rice. The tartness wakes the palate and the cold creaminess of the drink offers diners a nice respite after an assault of spices.
SCOTLAND
Product: Blaand
When people think Scotland, they think scotch whisky. But long before that became synonymous with country, there was blaand. Introduced to Scotland by the Vikings in the 9th Century, blaand is an alcoholic beverage that isn't a wine, beer or spirit. It's an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting whey, the byproduct from butter and cheese making.
Locals in Kyrgyzstan enjoy these balls of powdered yoghurt as a snack with their beers, some going as far as dropping them into a pint for flavour.
KYRGYZSTAN
Product: Kurut
Visitors to Kyrgyzstan will find these powdered yoghurt balls in spades. Kurut is a popular snack that can be easily procured from a roadside stall or market. Salty, sweet and sour all at the same time, kurut is made from straining yoghurt or milk, shaping the strained mixture into little balls before getting some love from the sun.
INDIA
Product: Lassi
Here's a drink that will ring a couple of bells although the way it's traditionally prepared in India and the version we get here in Singapore might differ. Lassi is a yoghurt-based drink from the Indian Subcontinent and is typically made with a blend of salted yoghurt, water, spices and sometimes fruit. And with a little turmeric powder mixed into it, lassi is often prescribed as a folk remedy.
Product: Kurut
Visitors to Kyrgyzstan will find these powdered yoghurt balls in spades. Kurut is a popular snack that can be easily procured from a roadside stall or market. Salty, sweet and sour all at the same time, kurut is made from straining yoghurt or milk, shaping the strained mixture into little balls before getting some love from the sun.
INDIA
Product: Lassi
Here's a drink that will ring a couple of bells although the way it's traditionally prepared in India and the version we get here in Singapore might differ. Lassi is a yoghurt-based drink from the Indian Subcontinent and is typically made with a blend of salted yoghurt, water, spices and sometimes fruit. And with a little turmeric powder mixed into it, lassi is often prescribed as a folk remedy.
Skyr was brought from Norway to Iceland over 1100 years ago, and although the tradition fizzled out in most of Scandinavia, it remains an inherent part of Icelandic culture.
ICELAND
Product: Skyr
Skyr is a millennium-old Icelandic cultured diary product that's a tad milder than yoghurt. Like Scotland's blaand, Iceland's skyr is attributed to the the Norwegian Vikings when they arrived some 1100 years ago. It's typically consumed in an Icelandic dish hræringur (Icelandic for "made by stirring"), which is a combination of skyr and porridge.
SOUTH AFRICA
Product: Amasi
Tremendously popular in South Africa, amasi is made from fermenting unpasteurised cow's milk in a calabash container. The fermented milk develops into a water substance called umlaza and the rest is retained as amasi. The thick sour liquid is then poured over a meal of maize flour porridge or eaten as is.
Product: Skyr
Skyr is a millennium-old Icelandic cultured diary product that's a tad milder than yoghurt. Like Scotland's blaand, Iceland's skyr is attributed to the the Norwegian Vikings when they arrived some 1100 years ago. It's typically consumed in an Icelandic dish hræringur (Icelandic for "made by stirring"), which is a combination of skyr and porridge.
SOUTH AFRICA
Product: Amasi
Tremendously popular in South Africa, amasi is made from fermenting unpasteurised cow's milk in a calabash container. The fermented milk develops into a water substance called umlaza and the rest is retained as amasi. The thick sour liquid is then poured over a meal of maize flour porridge or eaten as is.
Bamboo stems are used in the making of dadiah, a fermented milk product from Indonesia.
INDONESIA
Product: Dadiah
Dadiah or dadih is a cultured milk product that's popular among Indonesians dwelling in Western Sumatra. It's made by fermenting fresh, raw and untreated buffalo milk in a hollow bamboo stem. The ends are then capped with a banana leaf and left to ferment at room temperature for a couple of days. Dadiah is then consumed for breakfast by the locals with ampiang, glutinous rice krispies, and a touch of palm sugar.
Product: Dadiah
Dadiah or dadih is a cultured milk product that's popular among Indonesians dwelling in Western Sumatra. It's made by fermenting fresh, raw and untreated buffalo milk in a hollow bamboo stem. The ends are then capped with a banana leaf and left to ferment at room temperature for a couple of days. Dadiah is then consumed for breakfast by the locals with ampiang, glutinous rice krispies, and a touch of palm sugar.
