🌍 Caucasus

The Caucasus is a mountain region between the Black and Caspian Seas, where herding is closely tied to vertical seasonal moves: in summer the herds go up to alpine meadows, in winter they come down to the valleys. People here milk cows, sheep, goats and, in places, water buffalo.

The Caucasus is famous for its fermented milk products. The origin of kefir is linked to the North Caucasus, above all to the Karachays and Balkars: its starter — kefir grains, a symbiosis of bacteria and yeasts — was passed down in families from generation to generation. In the South Caucasus the everyday product is matsoni (matsun among Armenians), which is also made into the drink tan. In Georgia the brined cheese sulguni is popular, and ayran is drunk across the region.

Home starters help keep these traditions alive: studies show that the microbial make-up of matsoni varies noticeably from district to district, so each place has its own “taste”.