Filmjölk

"Basically it is thick sour milk. Kind of the same consistency as yogurt. I try to compare it to buttermilk in the US, except that buttermilk is disgusting and filmjölk is not." A Swedish American in Sweden

I actually started a couple of other posts today but then we went to Woolworths, where David was looking for his kefir and I saw the above product - Filmjölk it was called. What now thought I? How many different yoghurt, sour milk kinds of things can there be? Somebody must be scouring the world for them.

So I looked it up. it comes from Sweden and has probably been made since Viking times, but on a grand scale since the 1930s. Originally it was just the natural version (which seemed to be the only one on offer in Woolworths), but then flavouring was introduced and now a third of all filmjölk sold in Sweden is flavoured. Swedes apparently can't live without it. They mostly have it for breakfast on their muesli. Indeed breakfast without it is almost unthinkable.

So how is it different from Kefir or buttermilk? Well I think the bacteria they use are different - Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides - to be precise. The Rokeby Farms product that I saw claims to have 15 different cultures but they do include the two quoted by Wikipedia. And why does this make a difference? Well, again according to Wikipedia: "The bacteria also produce a limited amount of diacetyl, a compound with a buttery flavor, which gives filmjölk its characteristic taste." Mind you The Swedish American in Sweden claimed that it didn't really have much taste.

"To be honest, it tasted fine. Or, it didn’t really taste I suppose. The fil seemed to have neutralized any fruity flavor that the yogurt might have offered. Basically I was eating white flavorless dairy goop. Awesome." A Swedish American in Sweden

He (or she) was actually finally defeated by the texture which was thick and seemed to get thicker. However, I think that possibly the Rokeby Farms product has been produced to be thinner as it does come in a bottle = which implies reasonable liquidity. By the way I also found someone recommending that you shake the bottle before pouring as it separates out in the bottle.

Rokeby Farms is based in Gippsland and is part of the Made Group which produces other health type foods and so far they seem to be the only company making filmjölk. They also make probiotic smoothies and quark yoghurt - (another day). And Woolworths seems to be the only large supermarket stocking it so far. Coles hasn't cottoned on to this trend.

So is this the next big thing? Certainly good for your gut. Nobody seems to disagree with that.