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Cheese from Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia

Qara qurut (black kashk)Qara qurut

A dark, very sour dried dairy product made by boiling down the sour whey left from yogurt and doogh (buttermilk) until thick, then drying it until brittle. Its low pH from lactic acid, heating, low water activity and salt keep it stable. Iran has a national standard for it, ISIRI 13299.

What makes this one different

Made by boiling down and drying the sour whey left from yogurt and buttermilk, and noted for its very sour taste, firm chewy texture and low pH from high lactic acid.

Milk
Whey from yoghurt made of a mixture of kashek (sour yoghurt), doogh and whey, boiled down and concentrated
Composition
The Iranian standard allows at most 30% moisture
Samples over the moisture limit
In a field study of qara qurut from the Ashayari region of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran, half of the samples exceeded the standard's 30% moisture limit

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
sour whey from yogurt and doogh

Total time across the steps of Dried sour-milk curd family (qurut, aaruul, kashk, chhurpi): 13 days – 20 days

Start
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shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria40–45 °CpH 4.6–4.7Milk proteinGel (curd)

What changes: Milk sours into yoghurt or sour milk

Step 1 of 4 · steps of Dried sour-milk curd family (qurut, aaruul, kashk, chhurpi)
Sour the milk into yoghurt or sour milk
Time
24 h – 2 days
Reported
Temperature
40–45 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 4.6–4.7
Reported
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: sour milk or yoghurt.

Flavour
sour
Texture
set gel
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

lactic bacteria acidify the milk

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

A dark, very sour dried dairy product made by boiling down the sour whey left from yogurt and doogh (buttermilk) until thick, then drying it until brittle. Its low pH from lactic acid, heating, low water activity and salt keep it stable. Iran has a national standard for it, ISIRI 13299. Made in 4 steps over 13 days – 20 days. The longest step, shape and sun-dry, takes 10–15 days. Salt is up to 3 %.

Key numbers
Main step10–15 daysReported[oskenbay2016]Shape and sun-dry
Temperature40–45 °CReported[oskenbay2016]Sour the milk into yoghurt or sour milk
Saltup to 3 %Reported[oskenbay2016]Press, salt and hang the curd
AciditypH 4.1–4.3Measured[kalibekkyzy2026]Shape and sun-dry

Related ferments

Safety

Iranian standard ISIRI 13299 sets its limits. In a Tehran study, no certified brand carried coliforms, E. coli or coagulase-positive S. aureus, but one traditional sample had too many moulds and yeasts.

Hazards the sources name: Escherichia coli in 7% and coliforms in 28% of 40 traditional samples; Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus were not found.

History and sources

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

  1. [chizari2020] Chizari M., Hosseini S.M., Mohammadi A., Fakhari J., Mashhadi Mohammadzadeh-Vazifeh M. 2020, Evaluation of Microbial Contamination of Dried Black Curd (Gharahghorut) Produced in Iran, Medical Laboratory Journal 14(6):48-54 (abstract)paper
  2. [chogan2026] Chogan H., Aydın A. 2026, Geleneksel Kara Kurut'un Fizikokimyasal ve Mikrobiyal Özellikleri, XXI International Scientific Conference 'Tradition and Modernity in Veterinary Medicine', Pazardzhik, p. 54 (abstract)paper
  3. [wiki-qaraqorut] Wikipedia, 'Qaraqorut'wiki