[Sca-cooks] Kumiss stuff for Lilinah - warning, long rambling post...

[Lilinah]

Thank you, Drakey and Phlip.

I was in my local Persian store a little over a month ago. And i was 
a bit thirsty. So i bought a 4-pack of carbonated ayran (aka 
dough/doogh, etc.), as i have done in the past.

I opened a bottle.
It foamed out vigorously, more so than usual (it's often "foamy" but 
this was almost explosive).
It had far more than the usual carbonation.
It had a powerful somewhat cheesy smell, which it usually doesn't (it 
normally smells more like yogurt).
It had clearly gone above and beyond where it was supposed to.

I am nuts. I drank it anyway. I did not get sick.

I have the feeling that, while maybe it wasn't as alcoholic as 
kumiss, it was darned close.

I have the rest of the 4-pack in my fridge...

As far as what Phlip said, i think she's on the right track: 
bacterial/lactic acid fermentation, then the addition of yeasty 
beasties. Mare's milk much higher in sugar content than cow's. 
According to what i've read (certainly nowhere near as extensive as 
Drakey), the mare's milk is first "churned" so that the fat begins to 
come to the surface and is removed. I suspect that if one adds some 
form of sugar to cow's milk, one can make a cow version, churning to 
remove the fat (does this "churning" help encourage lactic acid 
fermentation?).

On the other hand, a brewer friend who detests "spoiled" milk 
products (hey, to each their own) and is therefore not willing to try 
making the stuff, has found a source of powdered mare's milk for me 
and is soliciting the local brewers to see if anyone is willing to 
give it a try. So far, no nibbles :-(
-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita

My LibraryThing
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/lilinah