Filmjölk

(), also known as , is a traditional fermented milk product from Sweden, and a common dairy product within the Nordic countries. It is made by fermenting cow's milk with a variety of bacteria from the species ''Lactococcus lactis'' and ''Leuconostoc mesenteroides''.
The bacteria metabolize lactose, the sugar naturally found in milk, into lactic acid, which means people who are lactose intolerant can tolerate it better than other dairy products. The acid gives a sour taste and causes proteins in the milk, mainly casein, to coagulate, thus thickening the final product. The bacteria also produce a limited amount of diacetyl, a compound with a buttery flavor, which gives its characteristic taste.

has a mild and slightly acidic taste. It has a shelf-life of around 10–14 days at refrigeration temperature.

Overview

In the Nordic countries, is often eaten with breakfast cereal, muesli or crushed crisp bread on top. Some people add sugar, jam, apple sauce, cinnamon, ginger, fruits, or berries for extra flavor. In Norwegian it is called () ('sour milk') but the official name is (). The drink is also popular in Latvian kitchens, where it is called , ('fermented milk' or 'sour milk') and can be bought ready from stores but is more commonly made at home. It can also be purchased and is popular in the neighboring country, Lithuania, where it is called or ('sour/fermented milk'). Due to its popularity, it can be bought in many stores alongside kefir.

Manufactured is made from pasteurised, homogenised, and standardised cow's milk. Although homemade has been around for a long time (written records from the 18th century speak of -like products, but it has probably been around since the Viking Age or longer), it was first introduced to the Swedish market as a consumer product in 1931 by the Swedish dairy cooperative Arla. The first was unflavoured and contained 3% milkfat. Since the 1960s, different varieties of unflavoured have been marketed in Swedish grocery stores. , a more elastic variant of was introduced in 1965; ''lättfil'', with 0.5% milkfat was introduced in 1967; and , with 1.5% milkfat, was introduced in 1990.
In 1997, Arla introduced its first flavoured : strawberry-flavoured .
The flavoured was so popular that different flavours soon followed. By 2001, almost one third of the sold in Sweden was flavoured .
Since 2007, variations of include with various fat content, flavoured with fruit, vanilla, or honey, as well as with probiotic bacteria that is claimed to be extra healthful, such as Onaka which contains Bifidobacterium lactis (a strain of bacteria popular in Japan)
and Verum Hälsofil which contains ''Lactococcus lactis'' L1A in quantities of at least 10 billion live bacteria per deciliter.

In English

There is no single accepted English term for or . and/or has been translated to English as ''sour milk'',
''soured milk'',
''acidulated milk'',
''fermented milk'', and ''curdled milk'', all of which are nearly synonymous and describe but do not differentiate from other types of soured/fermented milk. has also been described as ''viscous fermented milk''
and ''viscous mesophilic fermented milk'',. Furthermore, articles written in English can be found that use the Swedish term ',
as well as the Anglicised spellings ''filmjolk'', '' mjölk'',
and '' mjolk''.

In baking, when is called for, cultured buttermilk can be substituted.

In Finland Swedish

In Finland Swedish, the dialects spoken by the Swedish-speaking population of Finland, ' is the equivalent of '' filbunke'' in Sweden.
Not all variants of are found in Finland, normally only and '' långfil''. Swedish-speakers in Finland usually use the word , which is the older name for ' (also in Sweden) or (in Finnish), which is a fermented milk product that is thinner than and resembles cultured buttermilk.

Types in Sweden

In Sweden, there are five Swedish dairy cooperatives that produce : Arla Foods, Falköpings Mejeri, Gefleortens Mejeri, Norrmejerier, and Skånemejerier. In addition, Wapnö AB, a Swedish dairy company, and Valio, a Finnish dairy company, also sell a limited variety of in Sweden. Prior to the industrial manufacture of , many families made at home.

culture is a variety of bacterium from the species ''Lactococcus lactis'' and ''Leuconostoc mesenteroides'', e.g., Arla's culture contains ''Lactococcus lactis'' subsp. ''lactis'', ''Lactococcus lactis'' subsp. ''cremoris'', ''Lactococcus lactis'' biovar. ''diacetylactis'', and ''Leuconostoc mesenteroides'' subsp. ''cremoris''.

Classic variants

Probiotic variants

Homemade ''filmjölk''

To make , a small amount of bacteria from an active batch of is normally transferred to pasteurised milk and then left one to two days to ferment at room temperature or in a cool cellar. The culture is needed when using pasteurised milk because the bacteria occurring naturally in milk are killed during the pasteurisation process.

''Tätmjölk''

A variant of called , , or is made by rubbing the inside of a container with leaves of certain plants: sundew (''Drosera'', )
or butterwort (''Pinguicula'', ).


Lukewarm milk is added to the container and left to ferment for one to two days. More ' can then be made by adding completed ' to milk. In ''Flora Lapponica'' (1737), Carl von Linné described a recipe for ' and wrote that any species of butterwort could be used to make it.

Sundew and butterwort are carnivorous plants that have enzymes that degrade proteins,
which make the milk thick. How butterwort influences the production of ' is not completely understood – lactic acid bacteria have not been isolated during analyses of butterwort.

See also

* Cuisine of Sweden
* Amasi
* Kumis
* Skyr
* Yogurt
* Ayran
* Viili
* Matzoon
* Buttermilk
* List of dairy products

Notes

References

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Filmjolk
Fermented dairy products
Danish cuisine
Norwegian cuisine
Swedish drinks