Varenets

Varenets (Russian: варенец, lit. 'the stewed one'), sometimes anglicised as stewler or simmeler, is a fermented milk product that is popular in Russia.[1][2] Similar to ryazhenka, it is made by adding sour cream (smetana) to baked milk.[2]

Varenets

Alternative names	Stewler, simmeler
Place of origin	Russia
Main ingredients	Milk
Cookbook: Varenets   Media: Varenets

Production

Varenets is a fermented dairy drink with a caramel taste and creamy color. In the old days milk was baked in a Russian oven and fermented with sour cream.[2]

Commercially available cultured varenets is milk that has been pasteurized and homogenized (with 0.5% to 8.9% fat), and then inoculated with a culture of Streptococcus thermophilus to simulate the naturally occurring bacteria in the old-fashioned product.[3]

See also

• List of dairy products
• List of Russian dishes
• List of yogurt-based dishes and beverages

References

1. Goldstein, Darra (1999). A taste of Russia : a cookbook of Russian hospitality (2nd ed.). Montpelier, VT: Russian Life Books. ISBN 9781880100424. varenets.
2. translated; introduced; Toomre, annotated by Joyce (1998). Classic Russian cooking : Elena Molokhovets' A gift to young housewives (1st pbk. ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21210-8.
3. "ГОСТ Р 53508-2009. Варенец. Технические условия (International State Standard GOST R 53508-2009. Varenets, Specifications)" (in Russian). Interstate Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification. 2014.