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 Plain milk kefir being poured | |
| Alternative names | Milk kefir, gıpı ayran, qundəps, búlgaros |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | North Caucasia |
| Region or state | Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia |
| Main ingredients | Milk and kefir grains |
Kefir (/kəˈfɪər/ kə-FEER;[1][2] also spelled as kephir or kefier; Russian: кефир; Polish: kefir; Karachay-Balkar: гыпы) is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. It is prepared by inoculating the milk of cows, goats, or sheep with kefir grains.[3]
Karachays and Balkars are the creators of Kefir and Kefir Yeast.[4][5] The drink originated in the North Caucasus, in particular the Elbrus region along the upper mountainous sections of Karachay and Balkaria, from where it came to Russia,[6][7] and from there it spread worldwide. Kefir is a common breakfast, lunch or dinner drink consumed in countries of western Eurasia. Kefir is consumed at any time of the day, such as with zelnik (zeljanica), burek and banitsa/gibanica, as well as in cold soups.
- ^ "kefir". Oxford Dictionaries.
- ^ kefir. dictionary.reference.com
- ^ Altay F, Karbancıoglu-Güler F, Daskaya-Dikmen C, Heperkan D (October 2013). "A review on traditional Turkish fermented non-alcoholic beverages: microbiota, fermentation process and quality characteristics". International Journal of Food Microbiology. 167 (1): 44–56. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2013.06.016. PMID 23859403.
- ^ Peoples of the Caucasus: Material culture Food and Housing (in Russian). Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 1995. p. 100.
- ^ Dilanyan, Z. H. (1957). Technology Of Milk And Dairy Products (in Russian). Agricultural Publishing House. p. 171.
- ^ Мусаевич, Мизиев, Исмаил (7 March 2010). История Балкарии и Карачая в трудах Исмаила Мизиева: В 3 т. (in Russian). Нальчик: Издательство М. и В. Котляровых. ISBN 978-5-93680-337-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ А., ТАРАСОВ (1925). "Нельзя забывать, что в Карачае издревле вырабатывается замечательная "лактобацил-линовая" простокваша "айран", нельзя забывать, что родиной кефира, кефирного молока считается Карачай. Только здесь можно купить в засушенном виде похожие на крупную дробь кефирные грибки ("гыпы", по-карачаевски). Германские ученые также считают Карачай родиной этого грибка…". Северо-Кавказский край. (in Russian). 9: 84.