Fermented milk products

Fermented milk products, also known as cultured dairy foods, cultured dairy products, or cultured milk products, are dairy foods that have been fermented with lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Leuconostoc. The fermentation process increases the shelf-life of the product, as well as adds to the taste and improves the digestibility of milk. There is evidence that fermented milk products have been produced since around 10,000 BC. A range of different Lactobacilli strains has been grown in laboratories allowing for a wide range of cultured milk products with different tastes.

Products

Many different types of cultured milk products can be found around the world.

Soured milk

Origin	Product(s)
	acidophilus milk
	cheese
	buttermilk
Central Asia	yogurt
Brittany	laezh-ribod
Bulgaria	kiselo mlyako
Central Asia	kefir
Central Asia	chal & kumis
Czech Republic	Kefír or Acidofilní mléko
Denmark	kærnemælk, tykmælk, and ymer
Estonia	hapupiim and kefir
Finland	piimä and viili
Georgia	matsoni
Germany	Sauermilch or Dickmilch
Greece	Xynogalo or Xynogala
Iceland	skyr and súrmjólk
India	Lassi
Indonesia	dadiah
Iran	doogh
Israel	leben
Japan	Calpis
Kazakhstan	kumis
Macedonia	kiselo mleko
Netherlands	karnemelk (buttermilk)
Norway	surmelk or kulturmelk, kefir, and tjukkmjølk
Pakistan	Lassi
Poland	kwaśne mleko or zsiadłe mleko
Romania	lapte bătut and lapte acru
Russia	kefir, ryazhenka and prostokvasha
Scotland	blaand
Serbia	kiselo mleko
Slovakia	kefir or acidofilne mlieko
South Africa	amasi ("maas" in Afrikaans)
Sweden	filmjölk, långfil and A-fil (fil is the short form of filmjölk)
USA	clabber
Bosnia and Herzegovina	kiselo mlijeko and kefir

Soured cream

Origin	Product(s)
	cheese
	sour cream
Central & Eastern Europe	smetana
Croatia	mileram/kiselo vrhnje
Finland	kermaviili
France	crème fraîche
Iceland	sýrður rjómi
Mexico	crema/cream espesa
Norway	rømme
Serbia	kisela pavlaka
Sweden	gräddfil

Comparison chart

Product	Alternative names	Typical milkfat content	Typical shelf life at 4°C	Fermentation agent	Description
Cheese		1-75%	varies	a variety of bacteria and/or mold	Any number of solid fermented milk products.
Crème fraîche	creme fraiche	30-40%	10 days	naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria in cream	Mesophilic fermented cream, originally from France; higher-fat variant of sour cream.
Cultured sour cream	sour cream	14–18%	4 weeks	Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis*	Mesophilic fermented pasteurized cream with an acidity of at least 0.5%. Rennet extract may be added to make a thicker product. Lower fat variant of crème fraîche.
Filmjölk	fil	0.1-4.5%	10–14 days	Lactococcus lactis* and Leuconostoc	Mesophilic fermented milk, originally from Scandinavia.
Yogurt	yoghurt, yogourt, yoghourt	0.5–4%	35–40 days	Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus	Thermophilic fermented milk, cultured with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.
Kefir	kephir, kewra, talai, mudu kekiya, milkkefir, búlgaros	0-4%	10–14 days	Kefir grains, a mixture of bacteria and yeasts	A fermented beverage, originally from the Caucasus region, made with kefir grains. Can be made with any sugary liquid, such as milk from mammals, soy milk, or fruit juices.
Kumis	koumiss, kumiss, kymys, kymyz, airag, chigee	4%?	10–14 days	Lactobacilli and yeasts	A carbonated fermented milk beverage traditionally made from horse milk.
Viili	filbunke	0.1-3.5%	14 days	Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis* biovar. diacetylactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and Geotrichum candidum	Mesophilic fermented milk that may or may not contain fungus on the surface. Originally from Sweden but today is a Finnish specialty.
Cultured buttermilk		1–2%	10 days	Lactococcus lactis* (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis*, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris)	Mesophilic fermented pasteurized milk.
Acidophilus milk	acidophilus cultured milk	0.5-2%	2 weeks	Lactobacillus acidophilus	Thermophilic fermented milk, often lowfat (2%, 1.5%) or nonfat (0.5%), cultured with Lactobacillus acidophilus.

* Streptococcus lactis has been renamed to Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

See also

• Cuisine of Bulgaria
• Cuisine of Finland
• Cuisine of Germany
• Cuisine of Netherlands
• Cuisine of Norway
• Cuisine of Poland
• Cuisine of Romania
• Cuisine of South Africa
• Cuisine of Sweden