Everything about Kaymak totally explained
Kaymak or
kajmak is a creamy
dairy product, similar to
clotted cream, made all over the
Middle East,
Southeast Europe,
Central Asia,
Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan,
Iran,
Afghanistan,
India and
Turkey. It is made from the
milk of
water buffalos in the East or of
cows in the West.
The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the milk slowly, then simmer it for two hours over a very low heat. After the heat source is shut off, the cream is skimmed and left to chill (and mildly
ferment) for several hours or days. It has a high percentage of
milk fat, typically about 60%. It has a thick, creamy consistency (not entirely compact due to milk protein fibers) and a rich, mildly sour taste (depending on how long it matured).
Southeast Europe
Kaymak is almost always produced in the traditional way, in private households, and can be bought only on open markets; industrial production is low and not of as good quality. The best brands come from mountain
cattle farms. Kaymak can also be matured in dried animal skin sacks, and this variation is called
skorup.
It is usually enjoyed as an
appetizer, but also as a
condiment. The simplest recipe is
lepinja sa kajmakom (fresh
bread filled with kaymak) consumed for breakfast or as
fast food.
Bosnians,
Serbs,
Montenegrins, and
Macedonians consider it a national meal. Other traditional dishes with kaymak include
pljeskavica sa kajmakom (the
Balkan version of a hamburger patty topped with melted kaymak), as well as
ribić u kajmaku (beef leg meat, simmered with kaymak).
Turkey and the Middle East
Kaymak was very popular in
Turkey and shops were devoted to its production and consumption for centuries, as evidenced by a
1573 prohibition against women's presence in the kaymak shops. Though kaymak has declined in popularity in modern
Turkish cuisine, compared to previous years, the best kaymak is still to be found in the
Afyonkarahisar region where the water buffalo are fed from the residue of poppy seeds pressed for oil. Outside of
Turkey kaymak is still used extensively. Kaymak is traditionally eaten with pastries, preserves or honey or as a filling in
pancakes. Kaymak or
qymaq in
Afghanistan is used as an accompaniment to flatbread,
naan, or for the special occasion tea,
qymak chai which is green tea with
baking soda, milk and qymak as a topping.
Kaymak is also the thick foam at the top of a well-prepared
Turkish coffee in
Romanian,
Bulgarian,
Serbian,
Bosnian and
Turkish.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kaymak'.
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