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Kumis
Overview
Kumis, also spelled kumiss or koumiss in English (or kumys, see other transliteration
s and cognate words below under terminology and etymology) is a fermented dairy product
traditionally made from mare
's milk. The drink remains important to the peoples of the Central Asia
n steppe
s, of Turkic and Mongol origin: Bashkirs
, Kazakhs
, Kyrgyz, Yakuts
, Mongols and Kalmyks. It was also consumed by Baltic, Hungarian tribes.
Kumis is a dairy product
similar to kefir
, but is produced from a liquid starter culture, in contrast to the solid kefir "grains".
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
s and cognate words below under terminology and etymology) is a fermented dairy product
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...
traditionally made from mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
's milk. The drink remains important to the peoples of the Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
s, of Turkic and Mongol origin: Bashkirs
Bashkirs
The Bashkirs are a Turkic people indigenous to Bashkortostan extending on both parts of the Ural mountains, on the place where Europe meets Asia. Groups of Bashkirs also live in the republic of Tatarstan, Perm Krai, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Samara and Saratov Oblasts of...
, Kazakhs
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
, Kyrgyz, Yakuts
Yakuts
Yakuts , are a Turkic people associated with the Sakha Republic.The Yakut or Sakha language belongs to the Northern branch of the Turkic family of languages....
, Mongols and Kalmyks. It was also consumed by Baltic, Hungarian tribes.
Kumis is a dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
similar to kefir
Kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated with shepherds of the North Caucasus region, who discovered that fresh milk carried in leather pouches would occasionally ferment into an effervescent beverage...
, but is produced from a liquid starter culture, in contrast to the solid kefir "grains".
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