Kaymak
Creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaymak, sarshir, or qashta/ashta (Persian: سَرشیر saršir; Arabic: قشطة qeshta or قيمر geymar; Turkish: kaymak) is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, Turkic regions, some Balkan countries, some Caucasus countries, and the Levant.
Kaymak from Turkey | |
| Alternative names | Malai |
|---|---|
| Course | Breakfast and dessert |
| Place of origin | Central Asia |
| Region or state | Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan |
| Main ingredients | Milk |
| Variations | Kaymer, Qaymer, Qeimer, Qaymiq, Qashta, Ashta, Makahan |
The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the raw 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, because of milk protein fibers) and a rich taste.[1]
Etymology
Both the name kaymak and the food itself are associated with Turkic traditions. The word kaymak has Turkic origins, possibly formed from the verb kaymak, which means 'melt' and 'molding of metal' in Turkic.[2] The first written records of the word kaymak is in the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk of Mahmud al-Kashgari. The word remains as kaylgmak in Mongolian, which refers to a fried clotted cream, 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,[2] gaýmak in Turkmen, კაიმაღი (kaimaghi) in Georgian, καϊμάκι (kaïmáki) in Greek, and кајмак (kajmak) in Serbo-Croatian, caimac in Romanian.[3][4]
Origin
The dairy product is widely linked in modern reference works to Central Asian and Turkic foodways before its wider distribution across Türkiye, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, and neighboring regions.[5][6]
By region
Turkey
In the Ottoman period, dedicated kaymakçı shops were established in Istanbul, and kaymak has been consumed there for centuries.[7][8] In Türkiye, kaymak is commonly eaten at breakfast and is especially associated with the traditional Turkish breakfast.[9][10] A well-known regional variety is produced in Afyonkarahisar, where water buffalo are fed the residue of poppy seeds pressed for oil (haşhaş küspesi), a practice described in official sources as contributing to the character of Afyon kaymağı.[11] Kaymak is traditionally eaten with honey (bal kaymak), fruit preserves, and desserts such as baklava and ekmek kadayıfı.[12][9]
Balkans
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Known as kajmak, it is almost always made at home, though commercial production has increased. Kajmak is most expensive when at its freshest—only a day or two old. It can keep for weeks in the refrigerator but becomes harder and loses quality.[13]
In parts of the Balkans, kajmak may be matured in dried animal-skin sacks; one such traditional form is known as skorup.[14][15] Kajmak is commonly eaten as an appetizer, breakfast food, or condiment, and is often served with lepinja.[16][17] In Serbia, it is used as a filling in Karađorđeva šnicla and is also served with dishes such as pljeskavica.[18][19][20] In Albanian, ajkë is a general term for cream.[21]
Afghanistan
As in Turkey, qaymaq or qaimak Afghanistan is a cream-like dairy product associated with breakfast and other morning foods.[22] Historical accounts of Afghan foodways also refer to qaimaq in tea; Alexander Burnes in 1829 noted keimuk chah, described as tea with the fat skimmed from boiling milk.[22]
Georgia
In the Adjara region of Georgia, bordering Turkey, კაიმაღი (kaimaghi) is traditionally prepared in the mountainous municipalities of Keda, Shuakhevi, and Khulo. It is mainly made from cow's milk, though buffalo, sheep, and goat milk are also used.[23] Kaimaghi is associated especially with breakfast, and is commonly eaten with cheese, bread or mchadi, as well as with jams, honey, or coffee.[23][24]
Greece
Kaïmaki (καϊμάκι) is a soft cream cheese that can be spread on bread or used in cooking as a filling in food and for desserts. Kaïmaki can also be found as a chewy ice cream that is flavoured with mastic.[25]
Iraq
In Iraq, it is called qaymar, qeimar, or geymar (قيمر) and is a popular breakfast food.[26][27] Iraqi qaymar is especially associated with buffalo milk and with the marshes of southern Iraq.[26] It is commonly served for breakfast with bread, honey, or jam, and especially with the layered pastry kahi.[26][27][28]
Iran
In Iran, it is called sarsheer (سرشیر), literally "top of the milk", and refers to the fatty cream layer that forms on heated or boiled milk and is skimmed off after cooling.[29][30]
Armenia
In Armenian, the general word for cream is սերուցք (serucʻkʻ).[31] Historical sources indicate that cream-based dairy products were part of Armenian village life, including in Western Armenian communities, though the available sources do not clearly establish a single standardized modern Armenian term for kaymak as a distinct commercial product.[32]