Kaymak
 Kaymak from Turkey | |
| Course | Breakfast and dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Turkic Central Asia |
| Region or state | Azerbaijan, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan |
| Main ingredients | Milk |
| Variations | Kaymar, Gaymar, Qaimar,Qaimaq |
Kaymak is a creamy dairy product similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalos, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, some Balkan countries, Turkic regions, Iran and Iraq.
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. Kaymak 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 taste.
Etymology
The word kaymak has Central Asian Turkic origins, possibly formed from the verb kaymak, which means melt and molding of metal in Turkic.[1] The first written records of the word kaymak is in the well-known book of Mahmud al-Kashgari, Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk. The word remains as kaylgmak in Mongolian, and with small variations in Turkic languages as qaymaq in Azerbaijani, qaymoq in Uzbek, қаймақ in Kazakh and Shor, каймак in Kyrgyz, kaymak in Turkish[1], gaýmak in Turkmen and καϊμάκι (kaïmáki) in Greek.
Turkey
Shops in Turkey have been devoted to kaymak production and consumption for centuries. Kaymak is mainly consumed today for breakfast along with the traditional Turkish breakfast. One type of kaymak is found in the Afyonkarahisar region where the water buffalo are fed from the residue of poppy seeds pressed for oil. Kaymak can also describe the creamy foam in the traditional "black" Turkish coffee. Kaymak is traditionally eaten with baklava and other Turkish desserts, fruit preserve and honey or as a filling in pancakes.
Balkans
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Known as kajmak, it is almost always produced in the traditional way, in private households; commercial production is also gaining in popularity, but the best kajmak is sold at markets in some countries on the Balkans. Kajmak is most expensive when freshest—only a day or two old. It can keep for weeks in the fridge but it becomes hardened and not as tasty as the fresh kajmak.[2] Kajmak can also be matured in dried animal skin sacks, and this variation is called skorup. The word kajmak can also describe the creamy foam in the traditional "black" Turkish coffee in the Balkans.
It is usually enjoyed as an appetizer or for Saturday morning breakfast, as Saturdays are considered open-air market days where best kajmak is found, but also as a condiment. The simplest recipe is lepinja sa kajmakom (bun bread filled with kaymak in Serbia) consumed for breakfast or as fast food. Bosnians, Montenegrins, Serbs, and Macedonians consider it a national meal. Other traditional dishes with kajmak (sold in restaurants) include pljeskavica sa kajmakom (the Balkan version of a hamburger patty topped with melted kajmak), as well as ribić u kajmaku (beef shank, simmered with kajmak).
Iraq
_Kaymak.jpg)
In Iraq, it is called Gaimar, Geymar or Qaimar and is very popular. Possibly derived from the ancient Sumerian word "Gamur" or Ga'ar which means cheese.[3] Iraqi Gaimar is usually made from the rich, fatty milk of water buffaloes which are prevalent in the marshes of Southern Iraq. It is available both factory produced and from local vendors (farmers) commonly known as Arab, Arbans or Madan, thus the product is sometimes referred to as Gaimar Arab, Gaimar Maadan, or farmer's Gaimar.
Iraqis like to serve Gaimar for breakfast with fresh bread, honey or jam. However the most popular way is to spread it on a type of Iraqi pastry bread called "Kahi", smother it with date honey and then wash it down with hot tea. Gaimar on kahi with date syrup is a long-standing traditional breakfast all over Baghdad and throughout the whole of Southern Iraq. The Jews of Basra used to serve it during Shavuot.
Iran
In Iran,Sarshir is used to describe a different method which does not involve heating the milk, thus keeping enzymes and other cultures of the milk alive. The word kaymak (Qaymaq) is also used for the boiled method.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, kaymak (Qaymaq) has a much thinner quality and is eaten for breakfast meals usually with bread.
Greece
Kaimaki in Greece refers to mastic-flavored ice-cream that is widely available, and often served alongside traditional desserts.
See also
Citations
- ^ a b "kaymak" (in Turkish). NişanyanSözlük. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ Vrzić, Nikola (December 28, 2000). "Sve srpske kašike" (Windows-1250). NIN (in Serbian). Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ "ga'ar[cheese]". The Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
References
- The Poppy Growers of İsmailköy (2002)
- Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999). "Kaymak", pp. 428–429. ISBN 0-19-211579-0
- An Introduction into the Serbian Cuisine
External links
Media related to Kaymak at Wikimedia Commons
