KURT

Suzma, a clay-like cottage cheese mass, is obtained from qatyk.iyoghurt Qatyk is hung in a special cloth bag through which the whey is drained. Afterward, the suzma is rolled into balls, salted, and dried in the sun. In some places, various aromatic herbs are added to qurt, while in others, suzma is mixed with oil. For example, in the Altai region, qurt is traditionally smoked. The recipe varies significantly depending on the region and local culinary traditions. For instance, wheat and barley are used to make Iranian kashk, while in Lebanon, bulgur is added. Qurt is an integral part of many traditional dishes, such as qurtob, beshbarmak, nauryz-köje, gyyma-hinkal, and countless others.

The presence of qurt in such diverse culinary traditions across such a vast territory is fascinating from both a cultural and historical perspective. It reflects the numerous interactions and exchanges that have taken place between different peoples, including Turkic, Arab, Iranian, Armenian, and others.

Historically, nomadic pastoralism was the primary economic activity of Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Bashkirs, and some Uzbek communities. In the course of their nomadic lifestyle with its frequent migrations, these Turkic peoples developed various 'semi-finished' dairy products that were easy not only to store but also to transport, and fresh milk was not widely consumed because of its perishable nature. Qurt, in essence, is a relative of the oldest cheeses, and is in some ways derived from them. Therefore, when trying to determine when and where qurt began to be made, it is necessary to discuss the appearance of the first cheese.

In different versions, many legends tell us about cheese being discovered by Arab nomads who transported milk in sheep stomachs. Because of the rennet enzymes produced inside the stomachs of ruminant mammals, the milk curdled and the whey separated from the curd, supposedly leading to the discovery of cheese. It is more likely, however, that such cheese discoveries occurred independently in different regions. For example, Central Asian nomads have been transporting mare's or goat's milk in leather bags for centuries, where it ferments quickly due to environmental factors. This accidental process likely led to the discovery of various dairy products, including qatyk.

Archeological and historical evidence indicate that the production of cheese, cottage cheese, and sour milk dates back approximately 10,000 years, coinciding with the domestication of livestock. Archeologists have found traces of whey in different regions and different periods. The oldest evidence of cheese production was discovered in Çatalhöyük, an archeological site in Turkey, where whey was found in a vessel from the western mound (5900–5800 BCE) at the site. Another ancient record of cheese production dates back to 5500 BCE in what is now known as Poland, where sieves with milk fat molecules were found. Ceramic horn-shaped vessels called rhytons, used to store fermented milk products including soft cheese, have been found in the settlements of the Danilo culture on the Mediterranean coast of Croatia, dating back 7,200 years. The process of making cheese is also depicted in ancient Egyptian frescoes.