The market · Dairy and eggs · The Caucasus, Northern and Central Europe

Kefir

Milk fermented with kefir grains — rubbery clusters of bacteria and yeasts — into a tart, faintly fizzy, pourable drink. From the north Caucasus, and drunk across eastern Europe.

tangy · fizzy · yeasty

What to do with it

Ibu Sari's Beef rendangKefir would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilKefir would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaKefir would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos wayKefir would cut through its richness

Kinds

Milk kefir
The one for cooking and drinking.
Water kefir
Different grains, in sugared water — a soft drink, not a dairy.

Goes with

dillcucumberbeetrootrye bread

Knowing it

Where to buy
Supermarkets, and Polish and Russian shops, where it's fuller and sourer. Grains from fellow fermenters or online.
Worth knowing
Use it like buttermilk — in batters, pancakes and marinades — or as the base of chłodnik with beetroot, cucumber and dill. To make it, about a tablespoon of grains in half a litre of milk for a day at room temperature, then strain.

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