Re: Piima

Erkki.Aalto@Helsinki.FI
Tue, 24 May 1994 08:41:06 +0200 (EET)

>
> Does anyone know where to currently obtain a product called Piima? I had
> some years ago; it's a commercially-packaged starter kit for a
> cool-cultured yogurt-like stuff made of _Pinguicula_ (a Scandanavian
> product?).
>
> Any clues on finding it?
>

>I don't know where to find it but there was an article published in The
>Carnivorous Plant Society journal called "The role of Pinguicula in
>taettemaelk" Volume 14 (2), 41.
>It goes like this.....

> Taettemaelk or `ropy milk' is a traditional milk product produced
>mainly in Scandinavia, by the addition of butterwort leaves to fresh milk.
>The milk product is made in small batches, with the leftovers being used
>as an inoculum for the next batch. The caesin (milk protein) is not
>coagulated in the same way as in the cheese-making process (editorial
>note - Blessed are the cheese makers :) ) but is broken down into smaller
>sized units (Lloyd, 1942). The milk is thus made thicker and contains long
>`ropy' strands.

I have also heard about taettemaelk (must be Norwegian) or t{tmj|lk (Swedish)
and that Pinguicula is or was used used in making it. Piima (or actually
piim{, { = a with umlaut) is, however, Finnish, and I have never heard about
Pinguicula being used, Pinguicula is actually not very common in Finland.
Piima is just milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria. I have no idea where
to find starting culture in the USA, but trying some place with lots of
Finnish immigrants or some society of Finnish immigrants might help.

Erkki Aalto

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