🥣 Kashk
Also known as: kishk, keş
A sour, salty product of strained yogurt or buttermilk dried until hard. Known in Iran for millennia; the basis of kashk-e bademjan.
Kashk is a sour, salty dairy product of Iranian cuisine. Strained yogurt or buttermilk (in particular, drained katyk) is shaped into balls, strips or pieces and dried until hard. The name comes from Middle Persian and, according to one theory, is linked to the word for “dry”, after the way it is made. It is one of the oldest ways of preserving milk in Iran and neighbouring regions.
Before use, hard kashk is soaked and ground with water; today it is more often sold ready-made as a runny, creamy paste. Kashk is the base of the famous appetiser kashk-e bademjan (aubergines with kashk, fried onion, mint and walnuts) and of the thick soup ash-e reshteh with noodles and legumes.
Kashk belongs to a family of dried fermented milk products known from the Caucasus and the Middle East to Central Asia and Mongolia: kurt (qurut), jameed, aaruul. In some cuisines the words kashk or kishk also refer to other products, such as a mix of a fermented milk product and grains. Kashk differs from labneh in being dried and in its pronounced saltiness and sourness.
How it connects to milk
🥣 Kashk → made from → 🥛 Cow's milk → type of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Made from
- 🥛 Sheep's milk, 🥛 Goat's milk, 🥛 Cow's milk, 🥣 Yogurt, 🧀 Buttermilk
- How it is made
- 🔄 Fermentation, 🔄 Spray drying
- Where it is traditional
- 🌍 Anatolia and the Middle East
- Which peoples make it
- 🧑🤝🧑 Iranians
- Product type
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products
- Part of
- 🥣 Fermented milk products
Frequently asked questions
What is kashk?
An Iranian dried fermented milk product made from strained yogurt or buttermilk; it is used dissolved in dishes.
What is the difference between kashk and kurt?
They are related products of the same family; in Iran kashk is usually dissolved for sauces, while in Central Asia kurt is often eaten as a snack.
What is kashk-e bademjan?
An Iranian appetiser of stewed aubergines with kashk, fried onion, dried mint and nuts.
Similar
⚪ Jameed · 🫙 Labneh · 🍶 Ayran · 🥣 Yogurt · 🍘 Aaruul · 🥣 Viili
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.