What is kefir? How to cook kefir at home?

So what is kefir and how to prepare yogurt at home? The very word "kefir" comes from the Turkish word "kef", which means health. And the native land of this sour-milk drink is the northern Caucasus. Produced kefir in the Caucasus with the help of a special starter, which was considered a magic gift of Allah. They did not give it to her and did not even sell it to her fellow tribesmen. It was believed that this leaven will lose its magical properties.

If there was a need to pass on a sourdough to someone, it was "stolen", and then made a fictitious act of selling a trifle. Even if the leaven was passed on as a dowry, it was necessary to conduct a ritual abduction. The scenario of this kidnapping was thought out almost more carefully than the wedding itself. That is why before the beginning of the 20th century kefir was produced only in the Caucasus.

Kefir at home made it so: the leaven, along with fresh milk, was placed in wineskins, laid out on the road near the house. Everyone passing by considered it his duty to kick the wineskin, speeding up the fermentation. It was believed that the traveler thus expresses his respect for the owners of the house. Now even in the Caucasus kefir is insisted on in special tubs.

Now a few words about how kefir leaven, or kefir fungus, which is much more correct, got to Russia. This is also very interesting and in its own beautiful story. Everyone knows the hot temper of the Caucasian people. So, at the very beginning of the 20th century, in 1908, the Moscow dairy factory sent Irina Sakharov to the Caucasus to obtain kefir fungus. And there she was abducted by the local prince, the supplier of dairy products, and tried to achieve her favor. But the woman was not able to persuade her to marry. Moreover, a case was opened. And, to hush it, the prince paid off from the woman 10 pounds of kefir fungi. Only after that kefir was started to be produced on the territory of Russia, and the patients of the Botkin Hospital tried the Russian kefir first.

A distinctive feature of kefir, which makes it a truly exceptional sour milk product, is that it can be prepared only on the basis of kefir fungi. And this fungus is a complex symbiosis of several microorganisms linked together into a single fragile system. Repeated attempts have been made to isolate individual microorganisms from the fungus, and then create an artificial leaven on their basis, but to retain in this leaven the fragile equilibrium that is characteristic of the present fungus has never been achieved, and therefore, to recreate the real kefir during these experiments did not work .

The properties and taste of yogurt are unique. Part of this is due to the fact that alcohol fermentation goes in parallel with fermented fermentation. A small concentration of alcohol gives the yogurt a tart taste and a special airy, foamy consistency.

Proceeding from all the above, it becomes clear that any yogurt that can be purchased in the store, in any case, is made of natural ingredients. Another thing is that to extend the shelf life in kefir often add various preservatives and stabilizers. That is why it is better to prepare yogurt at home.

Especially since it is not difficult. The main thing is to get real kefir fungus. It looks like small soft, elastic lumps. You can buy it on the Internet, or even get a gift. The main thing is to find it, and you can prepare a high-grade kefir at home. It's simple: the fungus is washed in cool water (from high temperatures it can die), and put it on the bottom of a glass jar, into which milk is poured. Leave all this to wander at room temperature for 8-10 hours, depending on whether it is hot indoors or cold. When kefir is ready, the liquid in the bank will break up. Now all this must be filtered through a fine sieve: kefir will drain, and the sieve will have a fungus, which must be washed again and placed in milk, so that it does not die. And to slow down fermentation, milk with a fungus enough to put in the refrigerator.

This kefir will accept any organism, even children's. Kefir at home is gentle and delicious. And it really can be given to children from the age of three. The organism of children under the age of three can not withstand such food. And this applies to both home and shop kefir.

To sum up all the above, one can once again mention how useful and tasty yogurt is. It increases immunity and normalizes digestion. And it is worth saying that it is much more useful to prepare yogurt at home!