Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 1:31:55 +0800 From: Peter Cole <carnivor@flytrap.demon.co.uk> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg293$foo@default> Subject: Re: Toetmoelk
"Jure Slatner" <jure.slatner@guest.arnes.si> wrote:
>Hi,
>Peter Cole recently wrote:
>>I just hope it's better than the Ta"tmio"lk I tried a couple of years ago.
>I'd like to know where, when and by who Toetmoelk or Ta"tmio"lk or Filmjo"lk
>was/is produced. There are tree different names probably from tree nations?
>What is the procedure to do it.
Sorry for the delay replying - I have got rather behind with the
CP Digests.
I doubt I made it in strict accordance with Lapp tradition (for
one thing I used P.grandiflora instead of P.vulgaris, and for
another I know nothing of Lapp cuisine. Perhaps you're supposed
to use reindeer milk - who knows?) but I believe Ta"tmio"lk is
the Lapp word for it (there's a passing reference to it in SLACK -
Carnivorous Plants.) I've not heard of the other names.
The theory is simple enough - a bit like making a junket (that's
a milk pudding curdled with rennet, for the benefit of those who've
not come across it before.) The acidic juices, and presumably the
proteolytic enzymes in the plant will cause the milk protein to
set (or something like that - ask a chemist if you want a reliably
scientific description of what happens.) It seemed worth giving
it a go in the interest of science.
I coarsly chopped 5 or 6 plants and mashed them into the inside
of a sieve using the back of a spoon. Then I added 1 pint (or it
might have been half a pint - I can't quite remember,) of full fat
milk.
The theory was that the milk would run through the sieve and
coagulate in a bowl, but it didn't work out that way, so it was
more a matter or sieving out all (well, as much as I could,) of
the green stringy bits after the whole lot had mixed.
Within 10-15 minutes it had curdled into long ropy strands and I
figured was ready for consumption.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it wasn't very nice - rather bitter and
with a texture like toad spawn. Worse than sago, but then I've
never been much of a fan of that sort of thing. I tried adding
some sugar, but it didn't improve it much. I didn't finish it
and wouldn't want to try it again. Even the cat wouldn't eat it!
I recall we had some discussion on the list last year (or maybe
97?) after I tried it, but I've had some bad computer crashes
since then and lost all my mail archives. I do remember one of
our Nordic subscribers saying that it was commercially available
to some extent somewhere. I hope it tastes a lot better with
P.vulgaris (or perhaps you only need a tiny quantity of Pinguicula,)
or I really can't see how anyone would want to eat it. Still that
goes for sago, tapioca and many other such substances that
inexplicably appear (and presumably are bought,) in the shops.
If you fancy making some yourself, I would advise:
1) use P.vulgaris not P.grandiflora
2) use less Pinguicula - perhaps only 1 plant (or less) per pint
3) don't mash it up so much - just pour on the milk and strain off
after a few minutes, or squeeze out the juice to add to the milk
4) it will probably still taste horrible.
Happy cooking,
Peter
ps: if anyone is waiting for an Email from me, please bear with me -
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have lost your Email address.
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