What is the right name - yogurt, kefir, yogurt?

[What is the right name - yogurt, kefir, yogurt?]

What is the right name - yogurt, kefir, yogurt?

At the forum we constantly return to the question: how to correctly name a homemade lactic acid product that we ferment ourselves - yogurt, or kefir, or yogurt?

Let's first look at the history of creation, the place of origin of these drinks, the production technology, the leavens that are used in this case.
And then we will decide how to correctly name our culinary products obtained at home and according to our cooking technologies.

[1. YOGHURT]

1. YOGHURT



WIKIPEDIA
Yogurt (from the Turkish yoğurt) is a fermented milk product with a high content of fat-free milk substances, made by fermentation with a protosymbiotic mixture of pure cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus (Bulgarian bacillus) and Streptococcus thermophilus (thermophilic streptococcus), the content of which in the finished product is at least the end of the term 107 CFU (colony-forming units) in 1 g of product (the addition of food additives, fruits, vegetables and their processed products is allowed)
Real yoghurt consists of natural milk and sourdough culture containing bulgarian bacillus and thermophilic streptococcus, however, in different countries of the world, the composition of yogurt is treated more or less strictly
Yogurt is a fermented milk product with a high content of dry fat-free milk substances, produced using a mixture of starter microorganisms - thermophilic lactic acid streptococci and Bulgarian lactic acid bacillus - Federal Law of the Russian Federation of June 12, 2008 N 88-FZ "Technical regulations for milk and dairy products"

Organoleptic indicators
Appearance and consistency
Homogeneous, moderately viscous. Jelly or creamy when added with stabilizers. When using flavoring food additives - with the presence of their inclusions.

Taste and smell
Fermented milk, without foreign tastes and odors. Moderately sweet when formulated with sugar or sweetener. When formulated with flavoring food additives and flavoring agents - with the appropriate taste and aroma of the introduced component.

Colour
Milky white, uniform throughout the mass. When formulated with flavoring food additives and food colors - due to the color of the added ingredient.

Yogurt history
The word "yogurt" is Turkish (tur: yoğurt) and means "condensed". Scythians and related nomadic peoples have long transported milk in wineskins on the backs of horses and donkeys. Bacteria got into the product from the air and wool, fermentation took place in the heat, and constant shaking did the job, turning the milk into a thick sour drink that did not spoil for a long time and at the same time retained all the useful properties.

Pliny the Elder was the first to report about it, who wrote in his Natural History: “The Scythians know how to condense milk, turning it into a sour and very tasty drink”. For drinking, this drink was diluted with water, and for food it was dried, getting something like cottage cheese

The homeland of yoghurt is the Balkan Peninsula, or rather ancient Thrace.
According to one of the versions, the ancient Thracians were the first to make a product resembling yogurt. They raised sheep and noticed that sour milk lasted longer than fresh milk, and they began to mix fresh with sour milk sourdough, thereby obtaining the first yogurt.
According to another version, the first were the ancient Bulgars.At first, they made a drink called koumiss from horse milk. Subsequently, when they settled on the Balkan Peninsula and created the First Bulgarian Kingdom, they began to raise sheep and make yoghurt from sheep's milk.

In Europe, yogurt gained some fame in connection with the stomach disease of King Louis XI. The king could not recover in any way, and a certain doctor from Constantinople helped him, who brought him Balkan yogur. Appreciating, the French king spread the word about the food that saved his life.

The microflora of the Bulgarian yoghurt was first studied by the Bulgarian student of medicine Stamen Grigorov at the department of prof. Massol at the University of Geneva. In 1905 he described it as consisting of one rod-shaped and one spherical lactic acid bacteria.
In 1907, the rod-shaped bacterium was named Lactobacillus bulgaricus after Bulgaria, in which it was first discovered and used, and the spherical bacterium was named Streptococcus thermophilus.

I.I.Mechnikov was the first to appreciate the significance of the discovery made by Grigorov, and as the director of the Pasteur Institute invited him to Paris to give a lecture on his discovery to all the leading microbiologists of that time. Studying aging issues and collecting data for 36 countries, Mechnikov found that the largest number of “century-olds” - in Bulgaria - 4 per 1000 people. Since he studied the intestinal flora, he associated this with Bulgarian yoghurt (in Bulgaria it is also called kiselo mlyako - "sour milk"). In his writings, he began to present to the general public the usefulness of Bulgarian yogurt. Until the end of his life (he died of myocardial infarction at the age of 71) Mechnikov daily consumed not only lactic acid products, but even pure cultures of the Bulgarian bacillus.

The first scientific study of the functional properties of Bulgarian bacillus and sour milk was carried out in Russia:
About the dietary meaning of "sour milk" prof. Mechnikov. Clinical observation of SPB. Marine Hospital, Dr. med. G.A. Makarova. St. Petersburg. Published by K. L. Rikker. Nevsky prospect, 14.1907

In Europe, yoghurt became popular in the first half of the 20th century thanks to the Danone company, but later their products began to differ from standard yoghurt and in fact turned into yoghurt products.

In the USSR, yoghurt has been produced since the 1920s. It was sold in pharmacies as a remedy called yagurt. In the explanatory dictionary of Ushakov (1935) there is a word "yugurt" (and as a variant of pronunciation - "yagurt") with the interpretation: "Bulgarian yoghurt".
In the 1980s, they began to produce fruit kefir, which began to be labeled "fruit yogurt". But very soon this amateur performance was terminated by Western giants who came to the domestic market.

[2. KEFIR]

2. KEFIR



Kefir is a fermented milk drink obtained from whole or skimmed cow's milk by fermented milk and alcohol fermentation using kefir "fungi" - a symbiosis of several types of microorganisms: lactic acid streptococci and sticks, acetic acid bacteria and yeast (only about two dozen.

Homogeneous, white, slight emission of carbon dioxide is possible.

Kefir is a widespread drink in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries, Germany, Uzbekistan, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Israel, the USA and Australia.

Kefir differs from other fermented milk products by a unique set of bacteria and fungi that make up its composition. It is divided into one-day, two-day and three-day. The classification reflects certain qualities of kefir: its acidity, the degree of accumulation of carbon dioxide and alcohol, as well as the degree of swelling of proteins.
The percentage of ethyl alcohol reaches 0.07% (according to the outdated technology with the use of rennet, it could be tenths of a percent) in one day and up to 0.88% (BME) in three days.

Kefir sold on the territory of the Russian Federation should, in accordance with the current GOST R 52093-2003, contain at least 2.8 g per 100 grams.protein, have acidity in the region of 85-130 ° T. Fat content (as a percentage of mass) can vary widely from less than 0.5% for low fat to at least 7.2% -8.9% for high fat; classic kefir has 2.5% fat. During the shelf life, the number of live microorganisms contained CFU (colony forming units) in 1 g. product should be at least 107, yeast - at least 104. It is recommended to store ready-made kefir at a temperature of 2-4 ° C.

Benefits for the body
Since the end of the 19th century, medicine has been researching the effects of fermented milk products. The basis for this was laid by scientists Stamen Grigorov, who was the first to describe the Bulgarian bacillus responsible for lactic acid fermentation, and the Nobel Prize laureate Ilya Mechnikov, who was the first in the world to appreciate the significance of this discovery, then a student of Grigorov. Until the end of his life, Mechnikov promoted not only the use of fermented milk products, but also a living culture of microorganisms - probiotics.

Kefir, like other fermented milk products, has a probiotic effect, that is, it has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora and metabolism in general. Due to its complex composition, kefir can prevent the development of pathogenic flora in the intestine. Its medicinal properties are based on the bactericidal activity of lactic acid microorganisms and the results of their vital activity in relation to the causative agents of some gastrointestinal diseases and tuberculosis. In addition, kefir has an immunostimulating, soothing and mild diuretic effect.

It has been shown that for people suffering from lactose intolerance, the use of kefir can contribute to the normal absorption of this carbohydrate

Biokefir
Biokefir is kefir, in the production of which special direct fermentation preparations are used, consisting of thermophilic and mesophilic lactic acid streptococci, acidophilic sticks (Lactobacillus acidophilus), bifidobacteria (Bifidobacterium bifidum). Both acidophilus bacilli and bifidobacteria are viable enough not to be destroyed by the action of gastric juice, but to enter the intestines. As a result of their vital activity in the human digestive system, the activity of pathogenic (harmful) bacteria decreases. In addition, bifidobacteria are a natural component of the intestinal microflora. The corresponding products are called acidophilus, biokefir and bifidoc.

The origin of kefir
The homeland of the kefir fungus is the foot of Elbrus, from where it began to spread around the world since 1867. The kefir itself was sold, and its fungi and production technology were kept secret by the Karachais and Balkars.
In the valley of the upper Kuban, above its wooded gorge, the so-called. Big Karachai, the Tatar tribe of Karachais has been living for a long time, it submitted to Russia in 1841 and remained in its former places, it is especially engaged in cattle breeding; the herds are huge. Here is the homeland of kefir. The Karachais multiply rapidly and in 1865 occupied the previously uninhabited Teberda valley.

The production of kefir in the USSR (in Russia) began in the 20th century and is associated with the following story. Irina Sakharova graduated from the dairy school in 1906 and was sent by the All-Russian Society of Physicians to Karachay in order to find out from the Karachais the secret of making kefir. But no one wanted to issue a recipe for the drink to a foreign land ... Once on the way five horsemen caught up with her and forcibly took her away. This "abduction of the bride" took place on the instructions of Uzden Bekmurza Baichorov, who fell in love with a beautiful girl, his relative Khasan Magamedovich. The case went to court. Irina forgave the accused and asked for a recipe for making kefir in compensation for moral damage. The request was granted. Since 1913, this invigorating, healthy drink has been widely sold in Moscow.

Making biokefir at home
It is necessary to take a ready-made starter culture, which contains live lacto- and bifidobacteria. Boil and cool milk to 38-40 ° C.Add sourdough to it and leave in a thermos, yogurt maker or jar in a warm place for 8-11 hours.

[3. SIMPLE MILK]

3. SIMPLE MILK
Sour milk is a fermented milk dietary product, which is thick sour milk.
The preparation of curdled milk is based on the fermentation of milk on pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria. Fat content is not less than 3.2%. Differs in high digestibility, energy value, has a beneficial effect on the intestines.

Varieties of yogurt:
• varenets - made from sterilized milk and has the same characteristics
• fermented baked milk - made from baked milk
• katyk - prepared from very long-boiled milk, a dish of Turkic cuisine



Recipe for making curdled milk at home
The very word yogurt speaks of the simplicity of the manufacture of this product. As a rule, curdled milk is formed by itself by simply souring raw milk in a warm room. However, the palatability can vary greatly. For a more predictable result, it's best to stick to simple rules.

Ingredients
1. Milk, preferably without industrial processing (whole) or with a short shelf life. The volume is not of fundamental importance, but for a more reliable thermal regime, 3 or more liters are better.
2. Sourdough, the role of which is suitable for fermented milk products with live bacteria. They usually have a short shelf life (no more than 14 days). A good result is obtained using bread crumb, provided that the bread is made from yeast dough, and not on chemical leavening agents. The taste of the final product strongly depends on the type of bacteria. The amount of sourdough is almost irrelevant - a teaspoon is enough.
3. A couple of tablespoons of sugar, optional.

Manufacturing technology
1. Heat all milk to a temperature close to boiling or boil for a minute. Milk should not be curdled. This will remove foreign bacteria from the milk.
2. Cool the milk to a temperature at which the finger can be kept in the milk for a long time without scalding it.
3. Add sourdough and sugar to the milk.
4. Wrap the dishes with milk in a blanket to keep the temperature as long as possible, and leave for 4-8 hours (overnight).
5. Done. Store the resulting yogurt in the refrigerator.

It is not necessary to boil and heat. If the milk has already begun to turn sour, then this will not succeed - it will curdle. In this case, you can use a water bath (with pre-heated water). Without boiling, fermentation will occur unevenly, since several types of bacteria will multiply at the same time. Without heating, fermentation will take longer, especially in winter.

[Leaven]

Leaven

Sourdough is a fermenting compound.
It is used for fermenting milk in order to obtain fermented milk products (cheese, yogurt, yogurt, yogurt, etc.), for making dough and drinks (kvass, beer, etc.).

The starter culture for dairy products is obtained:
• from herbivore abomasum
• from fungal cultures - kefir fungus, Bulgarian bacillus, acidophilus bacillus, Swiss bacillus and others.
• from specially bred strains of pure lactic acid cultures (sour cream)

In particular, the beneficial properties of dairy products fermented with Bulgarian stick were studied by I.I.Mechnikov, and the corresponding product was called Mechnikov's curdled milk

As can be seen from the materials of WIKIPEDIA, yogurt, kefir, yogurt are fermented milk products, based on milk, and differ only in the used ferments.

Therefore, our homemade products will also be called YOGURT, KEFIR, PROSTOKVASH, if we use the appropriate starter cultures and follow the cooking technology.

And if in a simple way - we call it whatever we want, since both the leaven and the cooking technology we have are arithmetic mean.

I prefer to call my fermented milk drink PROSTOKVASH, because I simply ferment it - boiled milk + a portion of yogurt from the previous ferment, or sour cream.



Good drinks to everyone - yogurt, kefir and yogurt - be healthy!

Officially

"yogurt" - a fermented milk product with a high content of dry fat-free milk substances, produced using fermenting microorganisms (thermophilic lactic acid streptococci and Bulgarian lactic acid bacillus);

"kefir" is a fermented milk product produced by mixed (lactic acid and alcoholic) fermentation with the use of a starter culture prepared on kefir fungi, without adding pure cultures of lactic acid microorganisms and yeast;

"curdled milk" is a fermented milk product made with the use of fermenting microorganisms (lactococci and (or) thermophilic lactic acid streptococci);

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