Bottle of raw milk

by Cat, July 2007; updated Oct 2011 (photo, right from Wikimedia Commons)

See also Milk & Culturing of Milk (About); Butter & Buttermilk; Yogurt; Kefir.

These three milk/cream mesophilic cultures from Scandinavia are related, yet different. They are often misnamed (for each other), so it can be very confusing. The following distinctions will hopefully settle the issue (info from NourishedKitchen.com (6)). They are all similar to yogurt in texture, but unlike yogurt, they work at room temperature, so you may be able to make them from raw milk without preheating to 185°F, and you don’t need a yogurt maker or a warm cabinet to culture. These cultures are an excellent way to add enzymes and restore nutrients to pasteurized milk.

Specific Cultures

Piima

Piima (pronounced pee-ma) is more liquid than yogurt and is typically used as a beverage. This culture is derived from cows that feed on the butterwort plant.  Early Scandinavian farmers discovered that the milk from such cows clabbered better.

It is best to use real cream for the mother batch.

The specific bacteria are: S. lactis var. bollandicus and S. taette. See Piima Instructions from Cultures for Health (pdf)  for instructions to make pima. See also Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. for another take on how to make this culture. Must be made frequently (at least weekly) to keep the culture viable for re-culturing.

Piima Culture Sources:

• Moonwise (4): fresh piima cream mother culture – liquid, not powder – (in-season only, from September through May).
• At this time, G.E.M. Cultures does not sell Piima culture, but they sell Viili and Fil Mjolk.
• Cultures for Health (2); 1 packet per package. From their website: “One packet of culture is included in one order. The packet contains enough culture to make two “activation” [mother] batches of yogurt of one cup each. The activation batch can then be used to make additional batches of yogurt, in the proportion of one tablespoon of yogurt to one cup of milk. (That is, you can use one activation batch to make up to four quarts (one gallon) of new yogurt.)”

Viili

Viili (pronounced ‘fee lee ah’) is thick – similar to yogurt – more gelatinous than piima, and slightly sweet.

The specific bacteria are: Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp lactis biovar. diacetylactis, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris.  The Lc. lactis cremoris produces viilian, similar to kerfian produced by kefir grains. Some  cultures may also contain lactic acid fungi/yeasts (according to Wikipedia).

See Villi Instructions from Cultures for Health (pdf) for how to make viili, and We Don’t Buy it blog (5) for more, including photos, on using villi culture. Must be made frequently (at least weekly) to keep the culture viable for re-culturing

Viili Culture Sources:

• G.E.M Cultures (3) (See their contact page for ordering and contact info); 1 packet per package. Can be serial cultured (inoculate new batch with portion of current batch).
• Cultures for Health (2); 1 packet per package. “One packet of Viili yogurt starter can be used to make unlimited amounts of homemade yogurt as it can be serial cultured–a small amount of Viili yogurt from the current batch is then reserved to inoculate the next batch of homemade yogurt.”

Fil Mjölk

From Sweden, this similar culture is traditionally used to make Creme Fraiche, and is the Swedish buttermilk. In texture, it is not as thin as piima and not as thick as viili. More like kefir or buttermilk in texture.

The specific bacteria are: Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. This culture is very temperature sensitive, requiring constancy of 72 -75° F for about 24 hours.

See Fil Mjolk Instructions from Cultures for Health (pdf) for details on how to make this culture. Must be made frequently (at least weekly) to keep the culture viable for re-culturing

Fil Mjolk Sources:

• G.E.M Cultures (3) (See their contact page for ordering and contact info); 1 packet per package. Can be serial cultured (inoculate new batch with portion of current batch).
• Cultures for Health (2); 1 packet per package. “One packet of Filmjölk yogurt starter can be used to make unlimited amounts of homemade yogurt as it can be serial cultured–a small amount of Filmjölk yogurt from the current batch is then reserved to inoculate the next batch of homemade yogurt.”

Mother Culture and Serial Culturing

Mother culture is the initial milk or cream culture you make using the specific powdered culture (piima, villi, or fil mjolk); you then use the mother culture to culture fresh milk.

It is recommended (2,3) for the mother culture that you home-pasteurize your raw milk/cream (heat to 185°F, then cool to room temp) before making the mother culture (so the native cultures in the milk/cream will not out-compete the powdered culture).

Subsequent cultures using the mother, can be made from raw milk/cream. Cultures for Health and G.E.M Cultures do not recommend using raw milk, as it has all its original probiotic bacteria which may out-compete the purchased culture. Therefore they recommend that you home-pasteurize your raw milk (heat to 185°F, then cool to room temp) for making the original mother from your culture.

While serial culturing (using from one batch to culture the next batch) works for yogurt and kefir, it is not recommended for piima and filmjölk. For these, always use from the starter batch (the mother) and reserve enough of the starter to make a new starter using scalded, cooled milk.  In this way, it can go on indefinitely.

The viili culture does allow serial culturing with raw milk (per Villi Instructions from Cultures for Health pdf).

What Kind of Milk Can I Use?

These cultures prefer rich milk or cream.  For this reason, skim or low-fat milk is not recommended. Good quality whole milk is best. It is a good idea to preheat it to 180⁰ F (to kill competing bacteria that may have entered the milk after pasteurization). Do not use ultra-pasteurized cream or milk, nor homogenized milk.

To make the mother, it is best to use cream, especially for piima.  This can be raw or pasteurized, but NOT ultra-pasteurized, UHT, nor homogenized. Heat milk or cream to scalding (180° F), then cool to room temperature, before adding powdered starter.

Raw milk or cream can be used, but you must first heat it to 180° F (to kill competing bacteria naturally present in raw milk), then cool to culturing temperature, to make the starter.

Pasteurized milk or cream can also be used, but you must scald and then cool it first, to make the mother culture.  It can be serial cultured (use a bit of the current batch to make the next batch); it is not limited to the same restrictions as for raw milk.  DO NOT use ultra-pasteurized nor homogenized milk or cream.

Soy, coconut and other non-dairy milk can be cultured, but do not re-culture well.  Prepare the starter using dairy milk, and use from the starter to culture the next batch. However, I do not recommend drinking soy milk (see my articles on soy).

Goat milk can be used, but may impart its goaty flavor to the cultured milk, which many people do not like.

Cream, or half cream/half milk can be used to make an excellent crème fraîche, or for making butter.  However, DO NOT USE ultra-pasteurized cream, UHT cream, or half and half.  Also, do not use non-dairy creamers.

References:

1. Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.
2. culturesforhealth.com: culturesforhealth.com/piima-yogurt-starter.html
3. GEMcultures.com: gemcultures.com/dairy_cultures.htm
4. moonwiseherbs.com/wildedibles,piimaand%20kefir.htm
5. wedontbuyit.blogspot.com/2009/07/raw-milk-yogurt.html
6. nourishedkitchen.com/viili-piima-fil-mjolk/