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Fermented milk from Somalia

Garoorgaroor

Garoor is a Somali sour buttermilk. Raw, unheated cow's milk is churned, the butter taken off, and the buttermilk poured into a container smoked with cugid wood, where it sours on its own in about 3 hours. It keeps for up to 48 hours.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Garoor itself.

Short entryFermented milk3 h

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedHousehold practice with no fixed amounts in the only source.
Raw cow's milkNot heat-treated before churning[fao-tmp]
Cugid woodA balsamic wood burned to smoke the milk containers[fao-tmp]
Starterspontaneous (natural souring in Somalia)

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 h

Start
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What changes: Raw milk is churned and the butter lifted out, leaving buttermilk

Step 1 of 3
Churn the raw milk and take off the butter
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: butter and fresh buttermilk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Garoor is a Somali sour buttermilk. Raw, unheated cow's milk is churned, the butter taken off, and the buttermilk poured into a container smoked with cugid wood, where it sours on its own in about 3 hours. It keeps for up to 48 hours. Made in 3 steps over 3 h. The longest step, leave to sour, takes 3 h (FAO 1990).

Key numbers
Main step3 hReported[fao-tmp]Leave to sour

What makes this one different

Garoor is buttermilk from churning raw milk, soured after churning and for only a few hours, in a cugid-smoked container.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Non maï yami (Niger)Sour milk is added to the buttermilk and it matures for 24 hours (FAO 1990).
  • Arrera (Ethiopia)The same kind of sour buttermilk from churned raw milk, drunk plain or spiced (FAO 1990).

Safety

Made from raw milk that is never heated, with a very short souring; FAO gives a keeping time of up to 48 hours and no storage temperature. CDC says raw milk can carry Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella and Salmonella. It says children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weak immunity are at higher risk of serious illness.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [fao-tmp] FAO 1990, The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries, Animal Production and Health Paper 85, section II.1.3 (Arrera, Garoor, Non maï yami)gov
  2. [cdc-raw-milk] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Raw Milk (31 January 2025)gov