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Fermented milk from Bulgaria

Kiselo mlyako (Bulgarian yoghurt)кисело мляко

Kiselo mlyako is Bulgarian set yoghurt, made only with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Under its protected designation, Bulgarian milk is pasteurised hot, cooled to 42–45 °C, seeded, and left to set in the pot it is sold in until it sours to pH 4.7–4.5, then chilled. At home a little of yesterday's yoghurt seeds boiled milk.

Fully documentedFermented milk2.3 h – 2.5 hPDO "Българско кисело мляко / Bulgarsko kiselo mlyako" (EU file PDO-BG-02657, registered 2023 by OJ L 186, 25.7.2023)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedProcess from the PDO product specification; it sets temperatures and acidity, not batch sizes.
Raw milk from sheep, cows, buffalo or goats, or a mixProduced in Bulgaria; whole or partly skimmed[bkm-sd2023][bkm-spec]
Symbiotic starter of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilusMade in Bulgaria and not genetically modified[bkm-sd2023]
Nothing elseNo preservatives, stabilisers or emulsifiers[bkm-spec]
Starterdefined starter (PDO) or backslop at home: a little of the previous days' yoghurt

Total time across the recorded steps: 2.3 h – 2.5 h

Start
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up to 6 °C

What changes: Starting material: raw milk, filtered and kept cold

Step 1 of 6
Receive, clean and chill the raw milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
up to 6 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. delbrueckii
S. thermophilus

The specification lets the raw milk be stored for no more than 12 hours, or up to 24 hours if it is thermised at 63–65 °C for 15–20 s. Output: clean chilled milk.

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

Kiselo mlyako is Bulgarian set yoghurt, made only with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Under its protected designation, Bulgarian milk is pasteurised hot, cooled to 42–45 °C, seeded, and left to set in the pot it is sold in until it sours to pH 4.7–4.5, then chilled. At home a little of yesterday's yoghurt seeds boiled milk. Made in 6 steps over 2.3 h – 2.5 h. The longest step, chill in the pot, takes 2 h (Ministry of Agriculture) and runs at 2–20 °C (Ministry of Agriculture). Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2 hSet[bkm-spec]Chill in the pot
Temperature2–20 °CSet[bkm-spec]Chill in the pot
AciditypH 4.2–4.4Set[bkm-spec]Chill in the pot

What makes this one different

Kiselo mlyako is made with only the two classic yoghurt bacteria, from a Bulgarian-made starter, and it must still hold at least 10 million L. bulgaricus and 100 million S. thermophilus per gram at the end of its shelf life. It sets in the pot it is sold in, and it is sourer than similar yoghurts.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Ovche kiselo mlyako (sheep)Sheep milk yoghurt needs at least 16.5 % dry matter and 5.2 % protein; the set may be slightly grainy.
  • Bivolsko kiselo mlyako (buffalo)Buffalo milk yoghurt needs at least 16.0 % dry matter and 4.2 % protein.
  • Home kiselo mlyakoBoiled milk seeded with a little of the yoghurt made in the days before; some once used "sour thorn" sticks kept in anthills, St George's Day dew, bark or herbs.
  • Ant yoghurt (see entry ant-yogurt)Red wood ants act as the starter.

Safety

The milk is pasteurised at 93–95 °C, the yoghurt reaches about pH 4.2–4.3 and it is kept at 2–6 °C for no more than 30 days. No preservatives are allowed.

History and sources

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

The PDO single document says that in 1905, at the University of Geneva, Dr Stamen Grigorov found a rod-shaped bacterium in Bulgarian yoghurt; in 1907 it was named Bacillus bulgaricus, now Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. Ilya Mechnikov confirmed the discovery and developed a theory of ageing linked to the yoghurt. Bulgarian starter cultures were created in the second half of the 20th century, from strains selected from home-made yoghurt and natural sources, and the name was registered as a PDO in 2023 (OJ L 186, 25.7.2023).

  1. [bkm-spec] Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Bulgaria), product specification "Българско кисело мляко / Bulgarsko kiselo mlyako" (PDO application, stages 3.5.1–3.5.10)spec
  2. [bkm-sd2023] Single document "Българско кисело мляко / Bulgarsko kiselo mlyako", EU No PDO-BG-02657, published with the application in the Official Journal of the EU C 123/32, 5.4.2023 (Publications Office copy)spec
  3. [bkm-register] European Commission, eAmbrosia geographical indications register, entry for PDO-BG-02657 (status registered; legal instrument Official Journal L 186, 25.7.2023)gov