Kefir Latvia

[Lutgarda Briseno]

Whileglobal media reported on lockdown-related toilet paper shortages, in Latvia, buckwheat was one of the first products to fly off store shelves. It is a staple of many kitchens across Latvia and the wider region, and so is kefir, a fermented milk drink brimming with good bacteria. So how are the two related?

Along with the microorganisms, scientists have been key partners for Fermentful in devising production processes and recipes and researching the properties of the ingredients. So far, they have worked with the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and plan to collaborate with researchers in Finland, where the drinks are already sold.

Lelde combines an education in journalism with a background in destination marketing. She is a Riga-based communications professional and runs LifeInRiga.com, which she defines as the hybrid of an expat blog and guidebook. Latvian by nationality, Lelde grew up in Australia, went to school in Latvia, studied and worked in several countries before happily settling in Riga. Anything Lelde does, she does with a deep dedication.

Milk Kefir is a fermented milk beverage, similar to a thin yogurt, that is made from kefir grains- a specific type of symbiotic culture. The kefir grains are added to milk & allowed to ferment. The finished product is great for your gut health, and homemade is much cheaper than store-bought.

Kefir is a breakfast, lunch, and dinner drink popular across Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine - where it is known as an affordable health drink

Note: You will first rehydrate your grains to wake them up, then you can begin making milk kefir.

Pasteurized milk is best for rehydrating grains - once rehydrated, you may introduce raw milk if desired.

Probiotic bacteria found: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens subsp. kefiranofaciens, Lactobacillus kefiri, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus sake, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, and Streptococcus thermophilus.

Yeast strains: Candida humilis, Kazachstania unispora, Kazachstania exigua, Kluyveromyces siamensis, Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces martiniae, and Saccharomyces unisporus.

One night, when we still lived in Liepāja, we were at Rimi picking up food for the next day or so and my husband decided he felt like ryazhenka. He loves the caramelized taste of the milk and thought I might like it. I did, though I couldn't drink much of it at once. (It actually wound up being my gateway to drinking kefir!)

But, I hadn't had ryazhenka again since well before we left Latvia together (and neither has he), so when we saw our favorite Russian market1 had started carrying it, we picked up a bottle. It was expensive2 but oh so worth it. The price, not to mention the drive necessary to get there, put ryazhenka firmly into the area of "rare indulgence". There had to be a way to make it.

Although many of the recipes out there on the Net call for boiling the milk and then cooling it to a culturing temperature, I found I didn't get consistent results. Honestly, this would eliminate what I feel is the best part of ryazhenka - the caramelized flavor. Boiling also came very, very close to simply creating another batch of buttermilk -- which is not the same thing at all. And when you factor in the pain of cleaning burnt milk off of the bottom of a pot (we don't have a dishwasher), it's more than I want to do. Much easier just to turn on the oven and forget about it for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour milk into an oven-safe 13x9 casserole dish and place in oven. Bake for 4 - 5 hours until a golden brown crust forms on top of the milk. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly so that the crust can be removed. The milk should be light tan. Continue to cool to between 105F and 115F.

While the milk is cooling, get your vessel ready. I use a Yogotherm, a styrofoam contraption designed for culturing yogurt. You can use anything similar that will help the milk hold on to its heat as long as possible - a Thermos, insulated carafe, bowl wrapped in towels and a heating pad set on low (Alton's yogurt maker), etc. Pour the milk into the vessel and stir in 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Cover or seal the vessel and leave it in a warm place for 10 - 12 hours (i.e., overnight).

Before I left for Latvia the first time, I figured I would try drinking kefir. I knew there were a lot of sour dairy dishes that I would be able to try and I wanted to have an idea what I was in for. So, I bought a bottle of plain kefir and took it home.

I tried kefir, couldn't drink it - but it was much milder than what I'd had in the States. It wasn't bad, just too much for me. (To this day, my husband wonders if the bottle I bought had, in fact, gone bad without anyone knowing.) Buttermilk (paniņas) was right out. Then, one night we were at Rimi picking up food for the next day or so and he decided he felt like ryazhenka. He loves the caramelized taste of the milk and thought I might like it. I did, though I couldn't drink much of it at once.

And that's how I started being able to drink all these "weird" sour dairy drinks. It was all ryazhenka's fault. By the time I left, I had developed a taste for kefir. When I came back, it was my drink of choice at restaurants and we often had a carton in the fridge.

But, I haven't had ryazhenka again since well before we left Latvia together (and neither has he), so when we saw our favorite Russian market (European Tastees in Ivy Place on 9th East in Salt Lake City) had started carrying it, we picked up a bottle. It was expensive ($3.50 for a quart) but oh so worth it.

After some research, I began to think that ryazhenka wasn't that hard and we could have had this much, much earlier if we'd known. All it is, as the name implies, is baked cultured milk. The store-bought one had the same consistency and tang of buttermilk, so we started with that. Buttermilk's easy to get and pretty cheap too, so if it went sour, it wasn't a big deal.

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour buttermilk into an oven-safe casserole dish (I used an 8"x8" Pyrex baking dish) and place in oven. Bake for 4 - 5 hours until a thick brown crust forms on top of the buttermilk. Remove. Remove crust - ryazhenka should be the color of a latte - and pour ryazhenka into a jar or bottle and refrigerate overnight.

Cold Beet Soup is a perfect way to eat healthy and delicious during summer. A bowl filled with crunchy cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, sweet beets, and cold creamy kefir will keep you full and satisfied for hours!

They will keep for about a week or 10 days. Hard-boil your eggs and also keep in the fridge. Once you have eggs and beets cooked, chopping the ingredients and assembling this cold summer soup will take only 5 minutes.

I am in Latvija now and this soup is ALWAYS made with marinated (pickled) beets. While you might get the color right with boiled beets, the flavor of the soup will not be the same at all. In the USA you can buy pickled beets in the can but you will have to grate or chop them yourself.

Try baking the beets rather than boiling them. Also, make it a day in advance to let the flavors really meld. My grandmother used to make this for me when I was a kid. I forgot about it until I went to Riga on holiday. So good!!

Most people associate kefir with a fermented milk drink, but my route to conversion came via a non-dairy water kefir, specifically Nordic Wellness Drinks, a Surrey-Hills-based producer that abruptly appeared with a stall at my local farmers market around March 2021. My favourite of their mixed case (Ginger, Elderflower, Sea Buckthorn, Aronia Berry, Wild Nordic Berries) changes as often as the weather, but the blend of natural sweetness and acidity combined with their dedication to local/organic sourcing is a winner.

Kombucha addicts are everywhere, and kombucha brands are increasing like an out-of-control SCOBY. (SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. Both kefirs and kombuchas use SCOBYs in their fermentation process, but while kefirs are made from milk or water, kombuchas use green and/or black tea.)

A recent addition the shelves, Muri launched in the UK in July 2021 with two drinks: Passing Clouds and Nuala. Both use a low-alcohol yeast called Pichia kluyveri as well as water kefir grains, kvass (a drink made of fermented rye bread that I first tried in Riga, Latvia) and a kombucha SCOBY in a bit of master blending.

Refresh your palate with Erewhon's Kefir Soda Ginger. This six-pack offers a zesty blend of artesian spring water and kefir cultures, creating an effervescent, gut-friendly beverage. Each bottle is naturally sweetened with a sharp ginger flavor that delivers a refreshing kick. Packed with 24 probiotic strains, it supports a healthy microbiome, enhancing digestive wellness.

Completely free from refined sugars and artificial additives, this drink is a healthy choice. Place your orders before 1 pm PST, Monday through Wednesday, for 2-day air shipping to ensure optimal freshness. Remember to refrigerate immediately upon arrival.

Everything at Erewhon has been curated to support your health journey. As a Certified Organic Grocer, we seek out organic, biodynamic, and regenerative products that respect the planet, nourish our community, and support local farms.

In our Protein department, we stock grass-fed, cage-free products that adhere to animal welfare practices. Our seafood is sustainably sourced and packaged with cold chain technology to ensure freshness without chemicals or unnatural preservatives.

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