Chal Explained

Chal
Alternate Name:	Shubat
Country:	Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
Main Ingredient:	Camel milk

Chal, also shubat or khoormog (Kazakh: шұбат, şūbat, in Kazakh pronounced as /ʂo̙bɑt/, Mongolian: хоормог, khoormog, in Mongolian pronounced as /χɔ̙ːrmɞ̙k/), is a Turkic (especially Turkmen, Uzbek and Kazakh) and Mongolic beverage of fermented camel milk, sparkling white with a sour flavor, popular in Central Asia — particularly in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.^{[1] [2]} In Kazakhstan the drink is known as shubat, and is a staple summer food.^[3] Due to preparation requirements and perishable nature, chal has proved difficult to export.^[4] Agaran (fermented cream) is collected from the surface of chal.^[5]

Description

Fermented chal is reputed to possess virucidal and virus inhibiting properties not found in fresh camel or cow milk, both in its liquid and lyophilized form — a characteristic which is (reputedly) unaffected by shelf life.

Chal is typically prepared by first souring camel milk in a skin bag or ceramic jar by adding previously soured milk. For 3–4 days, fresh milk is mixed in; the matured chal will consist of one third to one fifth previously soured milk.^[6]

Camel milk will not sour for up to 72 hours at temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F). At 30 °C (86 °F) the milk sours in approximately 8 hours (compared to cow's milk, which sours within 3 hours).

A comparison of the composition of camel milk and camel chal:^[7]

	Camel milk	“Chal”
acidity	18°D	28°D
fat	4.3%	4.3%
lactose	2.75%	1.32%
non-fat solids	8.2%	6.6%
ash	0.86%	0.75%
ethyl alcohol		1.1%
ascorbic acid	5.6 mg%	4.8 mg%

Dornic acidic degrees are used to describe acidity in milk products, with 1 Dornic degree (1°D) equal to 0.1g of lactic acid per liter.^[8] The chal contained Lactobacilli lactic; streptococci and yeast.^[9]

Chal may be cultured with lactobacillus casei, streptococcus thermophilus, and lactose-fermenting yeasts incubating in inoculated milk for 8 hours at 25 °C (77 °F), and then subsequently for 16 hours at 20 °C (68 °F). Holder pasteurization does not affect the quality of the milk, but pasteurization at higher temperatures (85 °C/185 °F) for 5 minutes negatively impacts flavour. Chal made from pure cultures of lactobacillus casei, streptococcus thermophilus, and species of torula has markedly less not-fat solids and lactose than the milk from which it is made.^[10]

See also

• Ayran
• Borhani
• Cuisine of Kazakhstan
• List of yogurt-based dishes and beverages

External links

• Brigor'iants NN . [Chemical composition of chal (fermented camel's milk)] . ru . Vopr Pitan . 13 . 4 . 41–2 . 1954 . 13187930 .
• Konuspayeva G, Faye B, Loiseau G, Levieux D . Lactoferrin and immunoglobulin contents in camel's milk (Camelus bactrianus, Camelus dromedarius, and Hybrids) from Kazakhstan . J. Dairy Sci. . 90 . 1 . 38–46 . January 2007 . 17183073 . 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(07)72606-1 . free .
• Martinenko, N.l. . Yagodinskaya, S.G. . Adhundov, A.A. . Charyev, K.C. . Khumedov, O. . amp . Content of trace elements, copper, manganese, molybdenum in culture of chal and camel's milk and their clinical significance . Dairy Sci. Abst. . 40 . 7802 . 824 . 1977 . 2007-04-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110525082342/http://www.greenstone.org/greenstone3/nzdl;jsessionid=3373D1F2BB80999BC21D600A4A7E6D54?a=d&c=hdl&d=HASH01a561fe8c8ed1299b760e82.11&sib=1 . 2011-05-25 . dead .
• Book: Palmated Esenov . Bernard Faye . Desertification Combat and Food Safety: The Added Value of Camel Producers . IOS Press . Amsterdam . 2005 . 1-58603-473-1 . 2007-04-06 . 2007-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928055749/http://www.iospress.nl/flyers_b/fl9781586034733.pdf . dead .
• Filip Noubel, "Golden Century of the Turkmens:" A Bleak Picture of Village Life in the Desert. EurasiaNet photo essay, 10/25/02

Notes and References

1. Book: Anatoly Michailovich Khazanov. Nomads and the outside world. registration. 15 May 1994. Univ of Wisconsin Press. 978-0-299-14284-1 . 49 . 2nd.
2. Book: Alhadrami . G.A. . Faye . Bernard . Reference module in food sciences . 2016 . Elsevier . Animals that produce dairy foods: Camel.
3. Book: Aliya Meldebekova . Gaukhar Konuspayeva . Emilie Diacono . Bernard Faye . Heavy Metals and Trace Elements Content in Camel Milk and Shubat from Kazakhstan . Yuriy Sinyavskiy . Bernard Faye . Impact of Pollution on Animal Products (NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security) . Springer . Berlin . 2008 . 117–123 . 978-1-4020-8357-0 . 10.1007/978-1-4020-8359-4 .
4. Web site: Great Culinary Dictionary. Chal in Russian, retrieved April 11, 2007 . April 11, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071013152555/http://foodfind.ru/dictionary/1393/ . October 13, 2007 . dead .
5. http://turkolog.narod.ru/info/trkm-32.htm I.Barkhanov. Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper, in Russian, August 9, 2001
6. http://www.dawn.com/weekly/science/archive/041009/science7.htm Prof Zafar Iqbal Chaudhary & Dr Shahan Azeem, Is camel milk good for human health? DAWN Sci-tech world, October 9, 2004
7. Grigoryants, N.N. . Composition of camel milk and chal . Vop. Pit. . 13 . 41–5 . 1954 . 13187930 --> . ru.
8. http://www.idfdairynutrition.org/Files/media/Glossary_documents_PDF/ENG/L/Lex_EN_-_lactic_acid_071226-2008-00159.pdf
9. Kieselev, N. . Bacteriological examination of chal . Mol. Prom. . 17 . 31–4 . 1956 . ru.
10. Kuliev, K. . The utilisation of camels' milk . Mol. Promyslenn . 20 . 28 . 1959 .
    cited in Book: R. Yagil . Camels and Camel milk . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) . Rome . 1982 . 92-5-101169-9 . FAO animal production and health paper . 26.