Buffalo curd



Buffalo curd (in Sinhala - "මී කිරි" (pronounced - "Meekiri"), in Hindi - "Dahi") is a traditional and nutritious dairy product prepared from buffalo milk and it is popular throughout south Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc. Buffalo milk is traditionally better than cow milk for curd due to its higher fat content making a thicker curd. Mostly clay pots are used as packaging material for Buffalo curd.

Buffalo curd is obtained by curdling (coagulating) buffalo milk using microbial activities. In this process lactose in buffalo milk is converted into lactic acid using several micro-organisms. Several micro-organism species are involved in the fermentation such as Streptococcus lactis, Streptococcus diacetylactis, Streptococcus cremoris, Lactobacillus bulgaricusand and Streptococcus thermophillus.

Buffalo curd has a higher nutritional value of protein, fat, lactose, minerals and vitamins. It should have 7.5% of milk fat, 8.5% of milk solids and 4.5% of Milk acid (lactic acid). Quality of the curd totally depends on the starter culture. Fermentation also develops the characteristic flavor and colour of the product.

Buffalo curd can be made in both traditional and industrial forms. Traditionally buffalo milk is filtered and boiled, the scum is removed and it is cooled to room temperature. A few spoonfuls of a previous batch of curd are added and it is then mixed well and poured into clay pots. These are sealed by wrapping a piece of paper over the pot and allowing it to stand for 12 hours.