Yogurt in Russia and surrounding area

Ukraine / Azerbaijan / Armenia / Georgia / Central Asia / Yakut

The country has its original version of fermented milk product called “ryazhenka” which is also commonly referred to as “Ukraine yogurt.” It is prepared by first heating milk at 95℃ for two to three hours and then fermenting it with starter cultures containing L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. This brown-colored yogurt drink has a smooth texture and a caramel flavor. Varenets, another Ukrainian fermented milk, is prepared through the same process as ryazhenka but is often served after its curds are crushed into a consistent texture.

シュッツマ is one of the most popular fermented milk products in Azerbaijan, which is prepared by fermenting milk with yogurt bacteria, cutting up the curds, partially removing the whey, placing the curds in a cloth bag, and pressing it until its water content falls below 70%. Qatiq is another cultured dairy beverage widely consumed in the country, which is produced by heating milk for partial evaporation of its water content and condensation, and adding some previously-made left-over qatiq.

Matzoon is a cultured milk of Armenian origin, which is fermented with starters consisting of yogurt bacteria (L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus). Tan is another yogurt unique to the country, which is fermented in cloth sacks and then condensed by removing the whey.

Matsoni is a yogurt-like fermented milk of Georgian origin, which is similar to Armenia’s matzoon.

The ancient Aryans of Central Asia, the world’s oldest nomads, evidently used to drink fermented horse milk that had some alcohol in it, called “kumis,” as early as around 2,000 B.C. Indeed, it is a horse milk liquor with 3% alcohol content, which is higher than that of kefir originating in the Caucasus. The name is said to be derived from the Cumans, who were a tribal group that used to inhabit the area along the Cuman River in Central Asia. This drink is also mentioned in the Book of the Marvels of the World written by Marco Polo in the 13th century, which said that kumis was the Mongolians’ favorite drink. Kumis is widely produced across the region, including Kazakhstan, Bashkiria, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, and Mongolia. Kumis is also popular in Russia, where it is called "クルンガ" and is made from cow milk fortified with ascorbic acid.
In Kazakhstan, people make ayran (buttermilk), and also ferment it to make qatiq (condensed fermented milk). Qatiq is also broken up into small pieces and air-dried to make kurt. Camel milk is also used in the country to make a kumis-like fermented milk called shubat. Chal is another cultured dairy product popular in the region, which is an effervescent fermented milk made from camel milk and is consumed mainly in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
In Uzbekistan, people make and consume a cultured milk called “qatiq,” which is made by fermenting heated and condensed milk by adding starter cultures from previously-made left-over qatiq. Another Uzbek yogurt variation is suzma, which is prepared by salting and placing qatiq in a cloth bag, and hanging it up in the air to drain the whey and condense it. Kurt is another type of fermented milk product consumed in the country, which is made by adding salt and hot pepper powder to suzma, rolling it up into walnut-sized balls, and air-drying it for preservation.
Tajikistan also has its own version of such spherical fermented milk product called “kurt,” which is prepared by fermenting and salting heated and condensed milk, draining it of whey by hanging it up in the air in a cloth sack, and rolling up the resulting curds into small walnut-sized balls, and air-drying them.
In Turkmenistan, there is a unique cultured dairy product called “ブーサ,” which is made by fermenting a mixture of milk and rice with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, which has an alcohol content of up to 7%.

Yakut has its own version of fermented milk called “suorat,” which is prepared by heating cow milk for a couple of hours, adding some previously-made left-over suorat, and fermenting it. Yakuts also make a yogurt drink called “ウマン,” by diluting suorat with water. In winter, another fermented dairy beverage is prepared by mixing suorat with butter grains and water, which is called “ウダン.”