The text of the monthly article of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Doğan, Deputy Dean of Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), and faculty member of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, is given below.
As you know, we, as a society, have fought many epidemics in recent years. The JN1 variant, which is a new coronavirus infection and upper respiratory tract diseases that have increased in recent weeks, is on the agenda. Diseases progressing in the form of epidemics still negatively affect our society. From this point of view, some precautions need to be taken. I can say that the most important of these is strengthening our immune system. Yes, fermented, functional, and probiotic foods and drinks are among the primary immune boosters. One of these is kefir. But does kefir positively affect our health? How can we obtain it? How do we consume? Questions like these are frequently asked.
It is useful to say this first. I would not be exaggerating by calling kefir the yogurt of the twenty-first century. When consumed widely, like kefir and yogurt, it strengthens our immunity thanks to its probiotic properties. What we call probiotics are bacteria that live friendly with us in our intestines and benefit us with the metabolites they produce while living. To put it briefly, kefir contains plenty of these live microbes. We consume them with kefir. They reach the surface of our intestines, adhere there, and form colonies. As a result, it transfers the healing substances we call metabolites to our body, protects us from other harmful microbes, and strengthens our immunity.
Let's talk a little about its history and how it spread. Kefir spread all over the world from the North Caucasus at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the 1870s, a scientist named Metchnikoff, who grew up in Russia, studied at a university in Germany, studied the immune system, and was a Nobel Prize winner, traveled throughout the Caucasus and noticed that the people in the regions he visited were healthy and lived long lives. When he deepened his work, he came across fermented milk products, especially kefir. It has been determined that the communities here consume kefir, which we call probiotic food today, in their daily diet. When I read the book he wrote in those years, I saw that he stated the following. “The beneficial microbes that form as a result of the fermentation of some foods and beverages settle in our intestines and strengthen our immune system.”
For the reasons put forward by Metckinoff and the reasons I explained above, kefir protects us from diseases. If you want, let's talk a little about how we can produce kefir at home. If we are using packaged or bottled milk and take it out of the refrigerator, let's wait for it to come to room temperature. If we are going to ferment one liter of milk, 20 grams of kefir grains will be sufficient. Let's put the kefir grains in a clean glass jar and add a liter of milk on top. Close the lid and leave it in a closed environment, away from light and at room temperature, for a day. After a day, we will see that the milk coagulates and forms kefir. Let's pour the kefir into another bowl using a strainer and put it in the refrigerator. Let's be careful to consume the kefir we prepare within two or three days. Let's wash the grains in the strainer by passing them through water. Let's put the grains and milk in a clean glass jar to ferment again.
We can make some mistakes while preparing kefir at home. I think it is useful to briefly mention these. First of all, we never use metal materials when preparing kefir. Instead of metal, we can use wood or plastic material.
If we are not going to use kefir grains and are going to take a break, how do we preserve them?
If we are going to store it for no more than a month or two. We wash the kefir well and keep it in a jar of clean water in the refrigerator. Of course, kefir grains will weaken a little during storage. To revive them, we ferment them in milk for at least two days and pour the resulting kefir into them without using them. Afterward, we can ferment it again and use it. If we do not use kefir grains for more than two or three months, we can store them in the freezer in a suitable container. For example, we can revitalize it by taking it out of the freezer after six months. Quality kefir grains have an elastic structure. It won't be sticky or soft. The grains can be used for years if kept clean and carefully cared for. You can even give the growing grains to your loved ones as they grow.
Stay well…
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Doğan
