Kashk - Persian whey sauce - The Caspian Chef - Omid Roustaei (2024)

FAQs

Is kashk the same as whey? ›

Whey is the liquid left behind after milk has been curdled and strained, mostly in yogurt or cheese manufacturing. Kashk is the actual curds from cooking the yogurt. Also to confuse matters even more, you can also purchase whey powder these days as a protein supplement.

Kashk is made from strained yogurt, drained buttermilk (in particular, drained qatiq) or drained sour milk by shaping it and letting it dry. It can be made in a variety of forms, like rolled into balls, sliced into strips, and formed into chunks.

The taste of kashk is distinctive and almost indescribable. It is well worth purchasing and not substituting with an alternative, such as yoghurt. Kashk provides a sour, salty, creamy and slightly cheesy flavour to the dishes it is added to.

Kashk can be stirred in as a final ingredient, or dolloped on as a garnish, to enrich and add tang, creaminess and depth of flavor to a variety of dishes (such as soups, dips or roasted vegetables). Use it just as you would yogurt or sour cream. If your jarred kashk is too thick, you can thin it out with water.

Kashk substitutions are also popular due to its particular taste. You can use yogurt or sour cream as an alternative that will still turn out great.

Nutritional Benefits

Beyond its culinary uses, kashk is appreciated for its health benefits. It is a good source of protein and probiotics, the latter of which are beneficial for digestive health.

Kashk can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. Food writer and cookbook author Naz Deravian.

Pasteurized kashk is one of the delicious foods that is in liquid form and is easily used in the preparation of some dishes such as noodle soup and eggplant kashk. *During the shelf life of 2 years, please store at a cool temperature and away from sunlight. * After opening, store in the refrigerator.

The kashk will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir before using. You can also freeze the kashk for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then stir before using.

It is a curd made from sheep's milk and results as a byproduct from traditional butter or yogurt making. In modern day Iran, kashk is a thick, whitish liquid with a consistency similar to whey, or a dried product that must be soaked and softened before being used in cooking.

Can I freeze kashk? ›

You want the pulp to be as dry as possible. I like to divide the kashk into small containers and either use right away or freeze until needed. Although it takes a couple of hours to simmer the yogurt, the active prep time in making kashk is minimal. Of course, you can also purchase kashk from Persian grocery stores.

Kashk is also known as kishk in Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, kushuk in Iraq, and tarhana in Turkey (Tamime & O'Connor, 1995), but there are some distinct differences between them in terms of the ingredients, method of production, tradition, and geographical origin.

From the nutritional standpoint, kashk is rich in protein: its average protein content is 13.7% (dry traditional type) and 8.6% (liquid industrial type). Depending on the geographical region of production, the content of salt can vary from 0.8 to 1.5%.

Kefir is considered a pre-digested food. The bacteria make probiotics from the sugars and also make it 99% lactose free. If it does it quickly, because of higher temperatures or too many grains per the amount of milk, the kefir will separate into whey and curds.

Whey is a watery liquid that comes out of milk when it has been curdled and strained. It is also called milk plasma. It is a by-product of cheese making. Sweet whey is made during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like Cheddar or Swiss.