🥛 Ryazhenka

Ryazhanka is a Ukrainian fermented milk drink made from baked milk. The Ukrainian national standard DSTU 4565:2006 defines it as a product obtained by fermenting baked milk with pure cultures of thermophilic lactic acid streptococcus, and explicitly calls it a national fermented milk product. Its colour ranges from cream to dark cream, and it has a sour-milk taste with a distinct note of baked milk.

At dairies the milk is baked at 97 ± 2 °C for 3–4 hours until it takes on a creamy shade. The colour and caramel note come from the Maillard reaction: during long heating, milk sugars react with proteins. The milk is then cooled to 37–42 °C, inoculated and fermented for 5–8 hours, and the finished product is chilled to 4 ± 2 °C. It is made either by the thermostatic method, with the curd left undisturbed, or in stirred tanks.

Ryazhanka has long been made at home. In 1913 Zinovia Klynovetska advised steaming milk in a glazed clay pot until it turned yellowish, and dressing the cooled milk with sour cream. According to the commentary to the 1991 reprint, the milk was slowly cooked in a masonry oven, and the ryazhanka was ready after about twelve hours; it was served with varenyky, pancakes and pies. Folk names include pryazhanka, kolotukha, parukha and zavdavanka.

Ryazhenka or kefir, or yoghurt? Compare them by process, not by numbers. Ryazhenka starts with baked milk, held at 97 ± 2 °C for 3–4 hours until it turns creamy, then fermented for 5–8 hours with thermophilic streptococcus alone; that is where the caramel note comes from. Varenets, covered by the same standard, is made from sterilised milk, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus may be added to the streptococcus. Under the standard ryazhenka has 2.5 to 8% fat and at least 2.7% protein. It is a wholesome fermented milk, but not a medicine.

On the label look for the name “ryazhenka” (also spelled ryazhanka) and a line such as “Ryazhanka 2.5% fat. DSTU 4565:2006”, which names the Ukrainian standard; there is no EU protected-origin mark. Fat may range from 2.5 to 8%. It is a chilled product: find it in the cold dairy cabinet of a supermarket or a Ukrainian or Eastern European grocery, and keep it at 0–6 °C. The shelf life is no longer than 7 days, so check the date.

Why it matters to you. Under DSTU, ryazhanka has 2.5 to 8% fat, at least 2.7% protein, an acidity of 70–110 °T (degrees Thörner) and at least 10 million live lactic acid bacteria per 1 cm³. Look on the label for something like “Ryazhanka 2.5% fat. DSTU 4565:2006”. Keep it at 0–6 °C: its shelf life is no longer than 7 days. Ryazhanka has no EU-approved probiotic claim: it is a wholesome fermented milk product, but not a medicine.