The Characteristics and Historical Development of the Milk ProcessingSystem in Kyrgyz Republic

摘要

The objectives of this paper are to elucidate the milk processing system of Kyrgyz pastoralists and to speculate its historical development. The milk processing system of the Kyrgyz pastoralists involves the milk processing techniques called the fermentation processes to produce sour milk, cheese, and kumis, as well as the cream separation processes to produce cream, butter, butter oil, sour milk, naturally fermented milk, and cheese. As a result of comparing and analyzing the milk processing techniques of other surrounding regions, we found the following characteristics in the milk processing system of the Kyrgyz pastoralists:1)Development of milk processing techniques suited for the cold environment of the northern Eurasian continent, such as thecream separation processes and production of kumis, and 2) alack of use of the milk processing technique of the additive coagulation processes, in which they have not gone as far in the process as to use coagulants to make cheese. We conclude that the historical development of Kyrgyz pastoral nomad's milk processing system experienced the following transformations: With the West Asia type milk processing technique of the fermentation processes as the foundation, the pastoralists developed the cream separation processes and the kumis production techniques because of the cold climate, and eventually became dependent on the cream separation processes to separate milk fat with the use of the modern day cream separator.