Yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk are fermented milk products that are simple to make at home. Yogurt is thickened milk that is cultured by several species of beneficial bacteria. It has a solid, pudding-like texture that people generally eat with a spoon. Buttermilk is a thickened but drinkable beverage that is cultured with a different set of bacteria than yogurt; the species that make up buttermilk culture are actually the same as those found in many cheese cultures. Kefir is a drinkable yogurt, which usually is cultured with a broader range of probiotic organisms that include both beneficial bacteria and yeasts.
Fermented milks have a long history, probably originating thousands of years ago in Central Asia. Experts have suggested that the first fermented milk came about when herders stored their goat or sheep milk in skin pouches. Bacteria and yeast that were naturally present began to metabolize the lactose in the milk, fermenting it into kefir or yogurt.
Over time, people selected the best cultures and continued to maintain them. Not only did they like the sour taste but they also found that fermenting milk was a great way to preserve it for a journey. Both yogurt and kefir came to be associated with health benefits from the probiotic bacteria and live food enzymes. These include improved digestion, better skin health, enhanced immunity, and better nutrient absorption.
Today, yogurt is a controlled culture that contains a few strains of friendly lactobacteria. Kefir remains slightly wilder and can contain both yeasts and bacteria. Somewhere in their history, the two related foods diverged and their cultures were refined separately. There are some regional variations in yogurt as well. People probably refined these cultures over time to suit their own climates and tastes.
Yogurt was well-known in both ancient Persia and India, where records suggest that its use goes back at least six thousand years. In the first century BC, Cleopatra famously took yogurt baths to keep her skin vibrant. The Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote that certain Nomadic tribes knew how to thicken milk into a substance with a pleasing acidic taste.
Traditionally, buttermilk was a by-product of making butter from cultured cream. Today, it is generally made by culturing milk with a particular blend of lactobacteria. Though buttermilk is not as popular as a probiotic, and its bacterial strains are not chosen for their probiotic qualities, it is a high-quality fermented drink with many of the same health benefits as its close cousins. If you prefer buttermilk to yogurt or kefir, then please feel free to make it and use it in any of the recipes (smoothies, for example) that call for yogurt or kefir.
True kefir is made from kefir grains, which are particles of the culture that look like wet popcorn or cottage cheese curds. These remarkably stable communities of microorganisms form kefir’s mother culture, which has been handed down from generation to generation. Legend has it that the prophet Muhammad made a gift of kefir grains to the people of the Caucasus region, telling them to safeguard its secret. And safeguard it they did.
For centuries, the people living between the Black and Caspian seas kept their kefir grains a secret. Travelers on trade routes through the region, as well as on the main Silk Road, to the south, carried stories of kefir but were unable to obtain its recipe. Marco Polo tasted it and described kefir in the accounts of his travels. Yet for centuries thereafter, kefir making remained confined to the Caucasus.
By the early twentieth century, Russians in the north badly wanted the secret recipe. A large Russian dairy, backed by a physicians’ group, hatched a plan to obtain some kefir grains. They sent a very beautiful woman as a spy to charm some kefir grains from a local prince of the Caucasus. However, the prince would not give them up. Instead, he kidnapped the woman as she left, intending to marry her. The Russian dairy mounted a rescue attempt to save her from marriage to the prince, who now had committed a crime under Russian law. When he was arrested, the Russians forced the prince to hand over some kefir grains. And thus, kefir conquered Russia, where it became a dietary staple. Today, the average Russian drinks 5.68 gallons (21.5 liters) of kefir per year. This works out to about two ounces (58 milliliters) per day.
We will cover the formal process of making yogurt, buttermilk, and kefir next. Just so you know, it is pretty simple. There are just two ingredients: the milk and the culture!
Yogurt
Yogurt is the simplest cultured food to make, so it’s a great place to start. You need two ingredients: good quality milk and a source of yogurt culture. Organic or grass-fed milk is always best, but any milk will do. Make sure the milk has not been ultra-pasteurized, a process of heating it at high temperatures that changes its chemistry and makes it difficult to ferment. However, the milk should be pasteurized (as opposed to raw milk). Raw milk already can contain some bacterial cultures, which may interfere with your yogurt fermentation. Unless you have 100 percent faith in your source of raw milk, just use pasteurized milk to make yogurt.
There are two possible sources of yogurt culture, and I recommend the second one. Your first choice is to start with some powdered yogurt starter culture, which you can buy online or in a health food store. If you are using a dry, powdered starter, it is best to follow the directions on the package to make yogurt. Dry starter works quite well and is a portable option, but if you’re using it frequently, dry starter becomes an expensive way to make yogurt. Another issue is that most dry starters are not strong enough to make multiple batches. In other words, you cannot save some of the yogurt from each batch to culture the next batch; after a batch or two, it loses strength.
A much easier and more affordable way to get started is to buy some good yogurt. If it’s good, then it has plenty of live active cultures in it to ferment your milk. Check the label for the term “live cultures” or “active cultures” to make sure it is potent. Plain, sour yogurt makes the best starter, since flavored yogurts contain other ingredients and can impart an off-taste to the end product. This will give you a source of perpetual culture you can use again and again.
You will need about one-eighth to one-sixth as much yogurt starter as milk. So, for example, you can use one six-ounce (single serving) container of yogurt to culture enough milk to make 6–8 servings of yogurt. A higher proportion of yogurt starter will make for a faster fermentation.
Most yogurts in the store will list their bacterial cultures on the label. The majority of them use just a few cultures, most commonly Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactococcus thermophilus, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. But in recent years, researchers have taken a closer look at probiotics, and the results have proven that certain strains of bacteria offer health benefits. Today, more yogurt makers include these than ever before.
Some additional Lactobacillus cultures that now appear in yogurts include L. casei, L. paracasei, L. reuteri, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, and Bifidobacterium, though there are others as well. Each of these species has shown promise in providing immune system enhancement, improved digestion, and other health benefits. Therefore, if you can get some store-bought yogurt that includes one or more of these strains, it should make a healthy starter culture. In practice, not all species of friendly bacteria will culture well at the same temperature, and some probably are added after fermentation in these store-bought yogurts. But at least a broad spectrum of beneficial organisms is present with your starter, and hopefully a few of them will make it through to give you a broad range of beneficial organisms in your new cultured batch.
Buttermilk
The process of making buttermilk is the same as for yogurt. You just need to start with buttermilk cultures rather than yogurt cultures, because they are different. The best source of buttermilk cultures is buttermilk itself, so first you will need to buy some at the store that contains “live” or “active” cultures. While buttermilk uses the same bacteria as some cheese starters, do not attempt to use cheese cultures to make buttermilk. This is because the strains of bacteria and their ratios may be slightly different and you might not like the taste of what comes out.
Buttermilk cultures will grow just fine at room temperature. Start with a large container, bowl, or jar. Warm some milk to around room temperature or slightly warmer. Pour or scoop some buttermilk into the container/bowl/jar, then cover with the milk, stir it up, cover the container, and let it sit for 24–36 hours. For example, to make about a quart of buttermilk, heat one quart of milk to room temperature and combine it with a cup of buttermilk, then mix, cover, and let sit. Check it after 24 hours and let it go longer if you like sour buttermilk. Alternatively, you can make buttermilk in a large yogurt maker; just remember to check it before 24 hours because the warmer temperature can accelerate the fermentation.
Buttermilk doesn’t get much love in this book. The recipes here are written with yogurt and kefir, rather than buttermilk, in mind. The cultures in yogurt and kefir are considered to be more probiotic, which is why I prefer them. Yet buttermilk contains some beneficial lactobacteria as well, and there is no doubt that these create a creamier flavor than the yogurt bacteria do. You have my permission to enjoy your homemade buttermilk and to substitute it for yogurt or kefir in this book’s recipes!
Kefir
Stores are selling more kefirs and drinkable yogurts these days also. In fact, for marketing purposes, the term “kefir” basically means drinkable yogurt. Most “kefirs” you can buy in stores are just milk with yogurt cultures. Read the label and you’ll see this “kefir” contains the same species of friendly bacteria found in yogurt. I love drinkable yogurt, but I would not call it kefir.
Real kefir should be made from kefir grains, which will give it a cultured blend of both beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Many experts believe that the cultures in kefir are stronger and better able to colonize a person’s digestive tract than yogurt cultures. Having a healthy population of friendly microorganisms in your digestive system can help your body to properly digest.
Despite our preoccupation with hand sanitizers, antibiotics, and mouthwashes to kill as many microorganisms as possible, the average human body contains about three to five pounds of bacteria. Though these organisms are small, there are so many of them that bacteria cells in the human body outnumber the human cells by ten to one. Without friendly bacteria, we would experience a lot more digestive problems and diseases. If you want to stay healthy, one of the best things you can do is to encourage a healthy community of microorganisms to flourish in your digestive system. Kefir can help make this happen.
If someone you know uses kefir grains, you should be able to get a small amount from him or her. Just a tablespoon or two of kefir grains is enough for starters. You can purchase some grains online as well. Please check the appendix for a list of resources, including websites that sell active cultures like kefir grains. Once you have some, you can keep using them, saving them, and using them again for other batches.
Preparing kefir is quite simple. Place 1–2 tablespoons of kefir grains in a jar, crock, or container. Add 2 cups of milk. Then cover the container and let it ferment. After about 12 hours, you will see that the milk has thickened into kefir. Taste it, stopping the fermentation if it is ready or giving it a few more hours if needed. Before transferring it to the refrigerator, you must remove your kefir grains using a strainer. Have a second container ready to pour the kefir into, which you can use to store it in the fridge. Place the kefir grains back in your original container, add some more milk, and start the next batch. If you do not need a continuous culture, then you can store your kefir grains in the milk inside the refrigerator for up to two weeks before using them again.
There are dozens of recipes throughout this book that use yogurt and kefir. We’ll just start off with a handful of savory soup and dip recipes here, which have cucumbers as their common thread.
Tzatziki Dip, Raita Sauce, and Chilled Kefir Soup
When you’re eating a spicy meal, nothing cools like a cucumber. Combined with yogurt or kefir, cucumbers can make delicious raw sauces and soups. Creamy cucumber dishes can make refreshing accompaniments to spicy main courses. They can even make meals all by themselves. And you know they must be good, since the recipes here are drawn from four separate countries: Morocco, Greece, India, and Russia. For simplicity’s sake, I have combined the Moroccan yogurt-cucumber dip and Indian raita with the Greek tzatziki, explaining their variations. The three are very similar dishes, differing only in which herbs and spices they use. There is a separate recipe for the kefir soup, though it features most of the same ingredients also.
Basic Recipe for Tzatziki Dip, Raita Sauce, and Moroccan Yogurt Sauce
Each recipe makes 2–3 cups
• 2 cups Greek yogurt (homemade yogurt strained in tight cheesecloth for 3–5 hours or in refrigerator overnight)
• 1 large English cucumber, split in half, seeded, and grated
• 1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• Pinch of black pepper
Combine these basic ingredients with the additions of one of the three recipes below. Stir everything in well. Taste, adjust with more salt or spices as needed, and serve.
Tzatziki Dip additions
• 2–3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Zest of one lemon
• Optional: 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Raita Sauce additions
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup scallions, chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin or curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne of other chili pepper powder
• Optional: 1 large tomato, chopped
Moroccan Yogurt Sauce additions
• ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ teaspoon each: cumin, coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon each: cinnamon, anise seed
Optional: If you have a Middle Eastern or North African grocery store nearby, see if it sells a spice blend called Ras El Hanout. This is a complex blend of up to thirty spices, including those in this recipe. Try using about 1 teaspoon of Ras El Hanout to replace the cumin, coriander powder, cinnamon, and anise seed in this recipe (as well as replace the black pepper in the basic recipe).
Kefir Soup (Russian Okroshka)
Makes about 4–6 cups
This recipe has been adapted from the Cultures for Health website, which is located at www.culturesforhealth.com and is an excellent source of fermentation supplies.
• 3–3½ cups kefir
• 1 large English cucumber, finely chopped or grated
• 1 bunch small radishes, cut in half and thinly sliced (or substitute 1–2 large carrots)
• ¼ cup chives, finely chopped (you can substitute scallions if you prefer)
• ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 1 large beet, boiled or raw, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water, as needed to thin soup
• Optional: Substitute 1 medium potato (steamed or boiled) for beet
• Optional: Baby spinach (¼–½ cup), finely chopped
Combine 3 cups of kefir with other ingredients and stir. Add additional kefir or water as needed to thin soup to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with warm rye bread.
