flipIɣi — fermented goat's milk from the mountain
Iɣi — fermented goat's milk from the mountain
Why this dish? Dihya's people live from their goat herds in the gorges of the Aurès. The milk that turns becomes a tangy, refreshing drink that keeps better than fresh milk and accompanies every flatbread. It is the liquid daily bread of a pastoral people.
Goat's milk left to ferment until it becomes sour, thick and refreshing — the ancestor of lben. It is drunk from a gourd, poured over barley bread, and also churned to make butter.
Fresh milk does not last under our sun — but let it rest in the goatskin, and it turns into this tart drink that quenches better than the warm water of the plains. We also churn it to draw the butter that I keep in a jar. Drink a draught after the flatbread, my child: it is the gift of our goats, and our goats know these mountains better than the invader will ever know them.
- •Raw goat's milk — as much as you want (base)
- •Fermentation goatskin or jar — — (container that seeds fermentation)
Iɣi — fermented goat's milk from the mountain
Goat's milk left to ferment until it becomes sour, thick and refreshing — the ancestor of lben. It is drunk from a gourd, poured over barley bread, and also churned to make butter.
Why this dish? Dihya's people live from their goat herds in the gorges of the Aurès. The milk that turns becomes a tangy, refreshing drink that keeps better than fresh milk and accompanies every flatbread. It is the liquid daily bread of a pastoral people.
Fresh milk does not last under our sun — but let it rest in the goatskin, and it turns into this tart drink that quenches better than the warm water of the plains. We also churn it to draw the butter that I keep in a jar. Drink a draught after the flatbread, my child: it is the gift of our goats, and our goats know these mountains better than the invader will ever know them.
Ingredients (period version)
- Raw goat's milk — as much as you want (base)
- Fermentation goatskin or jar — — (container that seeds fermentation)
Ingredients
- Whole goat's milk — 1 liter (base)
- Lben or plain yogurt as starter — 2 tablespoons (fermentation starter)
- Salt (optional) — 1 pinch (seasoning, to taste)
Method
- Warm the goat's milk to about 40 °C (just warm to the touch).
- Dissolve the lben or yogurt in a little milk, then mix into the rest.
- Pour into a clean container, cover with a cloth and let ferment 12 to 24 hours in a warm place until thickened and sour.
- Beat vigorously (with a whisk or by shaking a sealed jar) to obtain a fluid, frothy texture, like churning.
- Serve well chilled, plain or with a pinch of salt; keep refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.
How it was made : Pastoral peoples of the Maghreb transformed surplus milk through fermentation, as they could not keep it fresh. Curdled/fermented milk (lben) and butter obtained by churning in a goatskin were central to Berber diet; the whey served as a daily drink.
The contemporary twist : Serve ice-cold in a terracotta cup, with a few crushed fresh mint leaves — a pastoral lemonade.
Dihya · Charactorium
