Matzoon Explained

Matzoon
Alternate Name:Matsoni,
Caspian Sea yoghurt
Country:Armenia
Region:Armenia, Georgia
Type:Fermented dairy product
Served:cold
Main Ingredient:Milk

Matzoon (Armenian: [[wikt:մածուն|մածուն]], matsun) or matsoni (Georgian: [[wikt:მაწონი|მაწონი]], mats'oni) is a fermented milk product of Armenian[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] origin found in Armenia[8] and Georgia.[9] [10] [11] The Caspian Sea yogurt commercialized in Japan is said to be the same type of yogurt as matzoon,[10] but a comparison of microbiota and viscosity found that the two are entirely different.[12] Georgian Matsoni has been a protected geographical indication in Georgia since 24 January 2012.[13] [14] [15]

Etymology

The name of the product originates from Armenian matz (sour, glue).[16] The etymology is provided by Grigor Magistros, in his Definition of grammar (11th century).[17]

History

The first written accounts of matzoon are attested in medieval Armenian manuscripts by Grigor Magistros (11th century), Hovhannes Erznkatsi (13th century), Grigor Tatevatsi (14th century) and others.[18] Matsoni is mentioned in the 15th century Georgian medical book Karabadini by Zaza Panaskerteli-Tsitsishvili.[19]

The Armenian immigrants Sarkis and Rose Colombosian, who started "Colombo and Sons Creamery" in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1929,[20] [21] introduced Matzoon around New England in a horse-drawn wagon inscribed with the Armenian word "madzoon," which was later changed to "yogurt", the Turkish language name of the product, as Turkish was the lingua franca between immigrants of the various Near Eastern ethnicities who were the main consumers at that time.[22]

On 24 January 2012, Georgia registered a geographical indication on "matsoni".[13] [15] [14] In 2022, Georgia banned the export of Armenian "matsun" yogurt to Russia via its territory.[15] [14] The Armenia-based company later relabeled its product as "Armenian Mountain Yoghurt".[14]

Preparation

Matzoon is made from cow's milk (mostly), goat's milk, sheep's milk, buffalo milk, or a mix of them and a culture from previous productions. Similar to yogurt it is usually made with the following lactic acid bacteria; Lactobacillus acidophilus (original only), Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.[11] Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris was found to be a dominant bacterial strain producing polysaccharides that impart the characteristic high viscosity of matzoon.[12]

Preservation

In Armenian cuisine, matzoon can be strained to obtain kamats matzoon. Traditionally, it was produced for long-term preservation by draining matzoon in cloth sacks. Afterwards it was stored in leather sacks or clay pots for a month or more depending on the degree of salting.[23]

Matzoon is used for the production of butter. When it is churned it separates from the buttermilk (Armenian: թան, tan). The tan can be further dried and the resulting product is known as chortan.[24]

Matzoon can be mixed with eggs and equal amounts of wheat flour and starch to produce tarhana. Small pieces of dough are dried and then kept in glass containers. They are used mostly in soups, dissolving in hot liquids.[25]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Joseph A. Kurmann . Jeremija Lj Rašić . Manfred Kroger . Encyclopedia of fermented fresh milk products: an international inventory of fermented milk, cream, buttermilk, whey, and related products. 212. Springer. 1992. 978-0-442-00869-7. "Matzoon (En); mazun (Fr, De); matsun, matsoni, maconi. Short Description: Of Armenian origin; Georgia, Caucasus (USSR); traditional product; the milk of ewes, goats, buffalo, or cows or mixtures thereof; yoghurtlike product traditionally made from boiled milk and an undefined starter culture; firm consistency and acidic flavor. Microbiology: Traditional product made with undefined starter culture consisting of thermophilic and mesophilic lactic streptococci and thermophilic lactobacilli, and often with yeasts. Starter culture with defined microflora: proposed Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.".
  2. Book: Kirk, Lawrence Eldred. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1948. 12. Matzoon or mazun, originating in Armenia. A lactobacillus (L. mazun), a streptococcus, a spore-producing bacillus and a sugar- fermenting yeast are responsible for the fermentation of this product..
  3. Encyclopedia: Columbia Encyclopedia. Fermented milk. 6. Columbia University Press. January 2, 2019.
  4. Book: Goldstein, Darra . The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia . 2013-12-24 . Univ of California Press . 978-0-520-27591-1 . en.
  5. Book: Marks, Gil . The: World of Jewish Cooking . 1999-09-02 . Simon and Schuster . 978-0-684-83559-4 . en.
  6. Web site: Cultures . Yemoos Nourishing . What is Matsoni? . 2024-03-01 . Yemoos Nourishing Cultures . en.
  7. Book: Marks, Gil . Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World . 2008-03-11 . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt . 978-0-544-18750-4 . en.
  8. Encyclopedia: The Encyclopedia Americana. 18. 446. Americana Corp. 1977. 978-0-7172-0108-2. Matzoon, mat-soon. "a milk food used in Armenia; prepared by exposing milk in open vessels to a heat of 90°F., and when coagulation takes place the curd is broken up by a churning process and salt is added".. registration.
  9. Book: Goldstein, Darra. The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia. University of California Press. 1999. 34.
  10. Book: Byers, Branden. The Everyday Fermentation Handbook: A Real-Life Guide to Fermenting Food. 2014. 66. "Matsoni, also known as Caspian Sea yogurt, this mesophilic yogurt comes from the region now known as Georgia".
  11. Kenji Uchida . Tadasu Urashima . Nino Chaniashvili . Ikiti Arai . Hidemasa Motoshima . Major microbiota of lactic acid bacteria from Matsoni, a traditional Georgian fermented milk. Animal Science Journal. 78. 2007. 85. 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2006.00409.x.
  12. Uchida . Kenji . Akashi . Keiko . Motoshima . Hidemasa . Urashima . Tadasu . Arai . Ikichi . Saito . Tadao . Microbiota analysis of Caspian Sea yogurt, a ropy fermented milk circulated in Japan . Animal Science Journal. 80 . 2 . 2009 . 1344-3941 . 20163589 . 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2008.00607.x . 187–192.
  13. Web site: IPCG . 2024-01-20 . www.sakpatenti.gov.ge.
  14. Web site: Kincha . Shota . 2022-02-11 . Georgian-Armenian yoghurt dispute threatens to sour relations . 2024-01-20 . OC Media . en-US.
  15. Web site: Martikian . Naira . 2022-02-12 . Matsonigate: Armenian-Georgian dispute over traditional yogurt . 2024-01-20 . English Jamnews . en-US.
  16. Book: Adjarian, Hrachia. Hrachia Adjarian. Armenian Etymological Dictionary. Yerevan. 1971. 3. 228–29.
  17. [Nicholas Adontz]
  18. ed: A. Desnitskaya, S. Katsnelson, «История лингвистических учений. Средневековый Восток.» . "Nauka", Saint Petersburg, 1981, p. 17
  19. http://www.istc.int/en/project/482E9379BDAB6FB7C32576FE003D37BB Probiotics of Georgia and "Caucasian Longevity"
  20. Web site: June 2004. Object of the Month. The Massachusetts Historical Society.
  21. Web site: 13 May 2004. Colombo Yogurt – First U.S. Yogurt Brand – Celebrates 75 Years. Business Wire. 25 December 2021. 4 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231744/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Colombo+Yogurt+-+First+U.S.+Yogurt+Brand+-+Celebrates+75+Years%3B...-a0116520624.
  22. News: 29 January 2010. General Mills to discontinue producing Colombo Yogurt. Eagle-Tribune. 29 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110528053724/http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x338297210/General-Mills-to-discontinue-producing-Colombo-Yogurt. 28 May 2011.
  23. С. А. Арутюнов, Т. А. Воронина. Традиционная пища как выражение этнического самосознания, стр. 120—125. Наука, 2001 [S. A. Arutyunov, T. A. Voronina. ''Traditional Food as an Expression of Ethnic Self-Consciousness'', pp. 120-125. Nauka publishers, 2001; in Russian]
  24. Web site: Gardens of Biodiversity. Conservation of genetic resources and their use in traditional food production systems by small farmers of the Southern Caucasus . .
  25. Encyclopedia: Tarkhana . William Pokhlyobkin . William Pokhlyobkin . Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts . 2005 . ru.

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