Smetana (or ''smotana'') is a type of
sour cream
Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, wh ...
from
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
. It is a
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...
produced by
souring
Souring is a food preparation technique that causes a physical and chemical change in food by exposing it to an acid. This acid can be added explicitly (e.g., vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, etc.), or can be produced within the food itself by a ...
heavy cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
. It is similar to ''
crème fraîche
Crème fraîche (English pronunciation: , , lit. "fresh cream") is a dairy product, a soured cream containing 10–45% butterfat, with a pH of approximately 4.5., p. 181''f'' It is soured with a bacterial culture. European labeling regulations ...
'' (28% fat), but nowadays mainly sold with 9% to 42% milkfat content depending on the country. Its cooking properties are different from ''crème fraîche'' and the lighter
sour cream
Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, wh ...
s sold in the US, which contain 12 to 16% butterfat. It is widely used in cooking and baking.
Uses and distribution
Smetana is also used in other central Central and Eastern European
cuisine
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
s in
appetizer
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...
s, main courses, soups and desserts. For example, it may be blended with soups, vegetable salads,
cole slaw, and meat dishes. It is served with dumplings (''
pelmeni
Pelmeni (russian: пельмени—plural, ; pelmen, russian: пельмень, link=no—singular, ) are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough.
It is debated whether they originated in Ural ...
'', ''
pierogi
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
'', ''
varenyky
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
''), or with pancakes (''
bliny
A blini (sometimes spelled bliny) ( pl., diminutive: блинчики, ''blinchiki'', dialectal, diminutive: млинчики, ''mlynchiki'') or, sometimes, blin (more accurate as a single form of the noun), is a Russian and more broadly Eastern ...
'', ''
palacsinta'', ''
naleśniki
A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying wit ...
'', ''
oladyi'', ''
syrniki''). It is also used as a filling in savoury pancakes. Smetana can be blended to a
Liptauer
Liptauer is a spicy cheese spread from Slovakian, Austrian and Hungarian cuisine. Liptauer is made with sheep milk cheese, goat cheese, quark, or cottage cheese.
Etymology
The name is derived from the German name ''Liptau'' for the region of ...
-like
cheese spread
Cheese spread is a soft spreadable cheese or processed cheese product. Various additional ingredients are sometimes used, such as multiple cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats, and many types of cheese spreads exist. Pasteurized process cheese s ...
with
quark
A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly o ...
or
cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keeping ...
s, onions, paprika and other spices, and eaten with bread. Smetana is often used in cooking, as it is high enough in fat not to curdle at higher temperatures. It is used in the preparation of meat stews, such as
beef Stroganoff, vegetable stews,
casserole
A casserole ( French: diminutive of , from Provençal 'pan') is a normally large deep pan or bowl a casserole is anything in a casserole pan. Hot or cold
History
Baked dishes have existed for thousands of years. Early casserole recipes ...
s, or other dishes that require a long cooking time in the oven. Smetana does not melt in the oven.
Hungarian cooks use it as an ingredient in
sauces
In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French word t ...
such as ''
paprikas'', and in
recipes such as ''
palacsinta'' (crepes) filled with
ham or minced meat (''
hortobágyi palacsinta
''Hortobágyi palacsinta'' is a savoury Hungarian crepe, filled with meat (usually veal). The meat is prepared as a stew; the meat is fried with onions and spices like the ''pörkölt'' or the ''chicken paprikash'' dish, using veal, veal with ...
''). (Similar usages are common in Eastern European Jewish cuisines, save that smetana is not used with meat dishes due to traditional Jewish dietary restrictions on mixing dairy products with meat.)
The current trend toward reduced fat content is believed to have resulted in an inferior product.
To imitate Hungarian-style cooking and the use of smetana (called ''tejföl'' in Hungarian), Hungarian cookbooks recommend using Western sour cream mixed with heavy whipping cream (38–40% milkfat). Unlike sour cream mixed with whipping cream, smetana is not a
homogenized product.
![Knedle sa sljivama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Knedle_sa_sljivama.png)
In Central European countries, such as the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, smetana may refer to sweet cream or soured cream. It should contain at least 10% fat. Smetana that has at least 30% fat is called ''smetana ke šlehání'' (
whipping cream
Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, and ...
) and is used for the production of ''šlehačka'' (
whipped cream
Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, and ...
).
In
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
,
Belarusian
Belarusian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Belarus
* Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent
* A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus
* Belarusian language
* Belarusian culture
* Belarusian cuisine
* Byelor ...
and
Russian cuisine
Russian cuisine is a collection of the different dishes and cooking traditions of the Russian people as well as a list of culinary products popular in Russia, with most names being known since pre-Soviet times, coming from all kinds of social ...
s, sour cream is often added to
borscht and other
soups, and is used as a
salad dressing
A salad dressing is a sauce for salads. Used on virtually all '' leafy salads'', dressings may also be used in making salads of beans (such as three bean salad), noodle or pasta salads and antipasti, and forms of potato salad.
Salad dressings ...
and as a
condiment for dumplings, such as ''
varenyky
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
'' and ''
pelmeni
Pelmeni (russian: пельмени—plural, ; pelmen, russian: пельмень, link=no—singular, ) are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough.
It is debated whether they originated in Ural ...
''. In
Polish cuisine
Polish cuisine ( pl, kuchnia polska) is a style of cooking and food preparation originating in or widely popular in Poland. Due to Poland's history, Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to be very eclectic, and it shares many similariti ...
smetana can be added to the traditional ''
pierogi
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
'' dumplings. It is also used in gravies served with Bohemian (Czech) cuisine, such as marinated beef
svíčková
Svíčková, or svíčková na smetaně (pronounced sviːt͡ʃkɔvaː na smɛ.ta.ɲɛ, is a Czech meat dish and one of the most popular Czech and Slovak meals. It is sirloin steak prepared with vegetables (carrots, parsley root, celeriac ...
. In
Slovak cuisine, smotana (cognate of smetana) is often incorporated into
Bryndzové halušky
Bryndzové halušky () is one of the national dishes in Slovakia. This meal consists of halušky (boiled lumps of potato dough similar in appearance to gnocchi) and bryndza (a soft sheep cheese), optionally sprinkled with cooked bits of smoked pork ...
and
Pierogi
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
.
''Schmand mit Glumse'' (whipped cream with
quark
A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly o ...
) is used in Prussian and other Germanic cuisines. Of note, it is not only used in savory dishes, but also for cakes called ''Schmandkuchen'' and desserts.
[ :de:Schmand] A German medical book published in 1677 recommended ''Schmant'' or ''Milchraam'' as the best part of the milk. Schmand is the cream of the milk, or the foam that rises up, like the ''white'' on the beer. Schmand or Schmant also describes other fatty foamy material and is known as a byproduct of mining (''Grubenschmant'') for example in vitriol development. The Balkan name for fattier varieties of Smetana, ''mileram'' is probably a variation of the earlier
Bavarian name for the product ''Millirahm'' meaning "milk cream".
When comparing brands or suppliers of smetana, the Polish and Russian practice is to compare the fat content of the varieties. Fat content can range from 10% (runny) to 70% (thick). The most common supermarket smetana is 10% to 40% fat (milk fat only for an authentic product). The addition of thickeners such as gelatine is not forbidden by relevant regulations, so today one hardly can find real, thickener-free smetana in an ordinary shop, which is regarded by discriminating buyers as cheating and the product is considered substandard and unsuitable for culinary use, since some recipes are easily spoiled by the presence of a thickener. Farmer's smetana should be used instead.
Etymology
The word smetana comes from the common Slavic "sъmętana", in turn from the verb "sъmětati" - to remove, to dump. Under this name, this product has spread in most languages: in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
(“smyatana / śmiatana”),
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
(“smetana” and “crème fraîche”). In German, smetana is called saure Sahne, Schmand, Armenian - թթվասեր (thtvaser), Slovenian - kisla smetana, Polish - śmietana, Bulgarian - заквасена сметана, Slovak - smotana, Czech - zakysaná smetana, Romanian - smântână.
In Finland, the name fi, smetana is used only for a product with a high fat content (30% or more), while ordinary smetana is called fi, hapankerma ("sour cream").
Smântână
![Napolact Gospodar Cream](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Napolact_Gospodar_Cream.JPG)
Smântână
is a Romanian
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...
that is produced by separating the milk fat through
decantation and retaining the
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
. It will not curdle when cooked or if added to hot dishes. Smântână's taste is tangy and sweet; soured smântână is considered spoiled.
The word is a
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
with Slavic ''smetana'' (Czech: "cream", Russian: "sour cream").
Smântână is widely used in
Romanian cuisine
Romanian cuisine () is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been mainly influenced by Turkish and a series of European cuisines in partic ...
, particularly in appetizers, main courses, soups and desserts. It is often added to
ciorbă
Chorba or shorba (from dialectal Arabic ; from , 'to drink') is a broad class of stews or rich soups found in national cuisines across the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It is often prepared w ...
and other
soups, and is used as a
condiment for
mămăligă and dishes like
sarmale.
See also
*
Crème fraîche
Crème fraîche (English pronunciation: , , lit. "fresh cream") is a dairy product, a soured cream containing 10–45% butterfat, with a pH of approximately 4.5., p. 181''f'' It is soured with a bacterial culture. European labeling regulations ...
*
Kajmak
*
List of English words of Russian origin
''This page transcribes Russian (written in Cyrillic script) using the IPA. For a quick overview of Russian pronunciation, see Help:IPA/Russian''.
Many languages, including English, contain words (Russianisms) most likely borrowed from the Ru ...
*
Strained yogurt
Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive so ...
*
List of dips
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smetana (Dairy Product)
Fermented dairy products
Pavlaka
Croatian cuisine
Czech cuisine
Slovak cuisine
Hungarian cuisine
Montenegrin cuisine
Russian cuisine
Serbian cuisine
Lithuanian cuisine
Slavic cuisine
Romanian sauces
Slovenian cuisine
Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine
ro:Smântână