Histoire des laits fermentés

The history of fermented milk products is closely related to milk consumption and storage. It is also linked to nomadism and dietary habits in different parts of the world. The products themselves vary widely from country to country and apart from traditional products similar to those that we consume, there are sparkling products, very acidic products or even products which are more or less alcoholic. In some countries there are “regional” products as they are made from products available locally as the animals are economically important (horses, camels, buffalo, yak and zebu). In most other countries, these fermented products are made of cows'milk. The type of ferments also differ from one product to the next as it depends on how the original products were prepared. Finally the health notion surrounding these products is very old. It is linked to Kefir consumption by inhabitants of Caucasia and Kumiss consumption by Genghis Khan's armies.