Curt (kurt) – in translation from Kazakh means Kolobok or a pellet. It took the basis from the Turkic name "bark" and is understood as dried up or dry. Curt is the hard cheese pressed and dried up on a heat made of the added some salt amasi.
Curt do in many countries, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Mongolia, Armenia, Georgia. The people of Central Asia led a nomadic life therefore Curt was most popular among steppe inhabitants. Such food could be taken in long campaigns, flavored with it soups and meat dishes. Curt has property long is stored without loss of the properties.
As prepares
Curt it is possible to prepare from different types of milk – from cow, goat or sheep. At first prepares катык (a product of sour-milk fermentation), the suzma – the clot received as a result of filtering of a katyk becomes further. Katyk is located in a sack from a cloth and is left to flow down for several days. After that salt is added to dense mix and by means of hands small balls, about 3-5 centimeters in size roll down. The size of balls can vary depending on the country of origin. As a closing stage the formed balls give all the best on the wooden plane and are dried up in the sun within several days. If air temperature is too big, then Curt dry in a shadow, having prolonged drying for up to one week.
At each nationality Curt's taste differs. It is connected with honors ferment and a starting crude – milk. Some people make Curt even of mare's milk – the product turns out the most useful and nutritive. The salt which is natural preservative doesn't allow a product to deteriorate, and health giving qualities of milk create the maximum usefulness of such food.
Vida Curt
A variety of types of a product is defined by the spicery and types of milk which are its part. There are three Curt: in a dried look, a boiled look and a dry-through look.
The dried product has the greatest salinity. Its feature is that on its surface there is some drawing – a trace by hand of the person forming a semi-finished product. In ancient times the people of Asia gave to this phenomenon special sense, but in the modern world the process of production of Curt became more hygienic – it is made by the cook in gloves therefore there is no trace left.
Curt in a boiled look is made absolutely on other technology. The semi-finished product is boiled within several hours. After that it rolls down in balls and is transferred to dry in the sun. Thanks to ultraviolet rays, moisture completely is removed from balls and is a little dried. Owing to cooking, Curt of such look possesses the most gentle and soft consistency and also degree of salinity of a product decreases, but the expressed creamy smack and a smell is gained.
There is also boiled Curt in the form of paste. It can be smeared on bread or just to use in pure form. This cheese cooks in special broth.
Important nuance: Curt dried it is possible to add to soup broths too and to turn into a pastelike state. For this purpose he needs to be killed previously in water.
Caloric content of a product is rather high – about 250 kcal on 100 grams. Nevertheless, it contains more protein (about 25 grams), than fats (16 grams) and carbohydrates (2.7 grams).
Useful properties
Thanks to the main component of Curt – a katyka, a product has huge advantage. It contains lactic bacteria streptococci and the Bulgarian stick. Thanks to them this product gains advantage and nutritional value. The live microorganisms participating in preparation process create favorable conditions for good assimilation of other products. At this weight there are nutrients necessary for normal activity of a human body. At the use of a katyk in an organism there is a suppression of growth of adverse microflora in intestines, balance between neutral and useful bacteria is established. The product promotes the general strengthening of the immune system of the person and also presenilation warns.
One of important features of such cheese is a property to prevent nausea which is so important at long travel various transport. Also inhabitants of Asia recommend Curt's use to the people suffering from deficiency of iron, anemia at the increased physical and intellectual activities.
In Curt there is a vitamin A (Retinolum) which promotes improvement of functioning of organs of vision, accelerates formation of cages and their updating. The vitamin E which is contained in a product bears advantage at enrichment with oxygen of cages and, as a result, prevents presenilation, and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) improves protective ability of an organism. Vitamin D (calciferol) also contains in Curt and is useful that it prevents formation of cancer cells and strengthens bone and cartilaginous tissues of an organism.
Harm of a product
Besides advantage, Curt can bring a certain harm in an organism of people, having some diseases. Because Curt contains animal milk which in the modern world is considered harmful, a number of unpleasant consequences and diseases, such as allergy, acne, violation in work of a GIT and intestines and various inflammatory processes in a human body is possible.
It is considered to be that the beneficial effect of bacteria has no advantage in comparison with harm of milk and its enzymes.
Also scientific it was revealed that cheese contains special chemical compound, whose structure a descent with morphine. It is connected with animals – cows whose liver produces morphine and codeine which get further to food on the basis of milk.
Statistics repeats that fifty grams of cheese contain about 70 percent of fat from standard daily rate of fats. Excessive intake of fats in an organism leads to increase in level of cholesterol and, as a result, to cardiovascular diseases.
Besides, because some techniques of preparation of cheese don't mean heat treatment, the risk for children, elderly people and pregnant women is possible. The product is especially harmful to pregnant women – it comprises listreiya bacteria which can cause a stop of development of a fruit or in general to an abortion. That is why scientists and doctors advise pregnant women completely to refrain from Curt's use.
One more dangerous moment in Curt's use is that it contains amino acid tryptophane - it is substance which is capable to collect in an organism and to cause migraines, headaches and insomnia.
Besides all aforesaid, the technique of preparation of Curt assumes the high content of salt. It is known that salt has hydrophilic properties. It involves a liquid delay in an organism that promotes increase in arterial blood pressure which is connected with vascular and heart diseases of the person. Also salt causes puffiness of an organism, can provoke development of stomach ulcers of a stomach. By scientists of one of the American institutes of America it was proved that the high content of salt in a stomach of the person can cause malignant tumors.
Step-by-step recipe for Curt
Necessary ingredients: suzma half a kilogram, one teaspoon of salt, quarter of a teaspoon of red hot pepper.
To prepare a suzma, it is necessary to keep raw materials not less day in order that it became drier.
After the suzma is sustained sufficient time, it is necessary to add salt and pepper to it and it is good to knead. Further from weight balls roll down.
After that the created balls give all the best on a wooden board at some distance are from each other and a little dried up.
It was necessary to cover balls with gauze fabric and to remove in the aired room approximately for five days.