Ingredients
Soured milk
- 1.5 litreswhole milk
- 3 tbspbuttermilk or live cultured milk, as starter
To serve
- new potatoes, boiled
- butter and chopped dill
- salt
Directions
- Warm the milk to 22°C (72°F) — barely warm to the touch. Hapupiim is set by a mesophilic culture that works at room temperature, so heating it to yoghurt temperature simply kills what you want.
- Stir in the buttermilk, pour into a jug or a jar, and cover with a cloth rather than a lid.
- Leave at room temperature for 20 to 30 hours. It is ready when it has thickened to the consistency of pouring cream and tastes cleanly sour without any bitterness.
- Chill for at least four hours. It thickens further in the cold but stays pourable, which is the point — this is drunk and poured, not spooned like a set yoghurt.
- Boil new potatoes in their skins until tender and toss them with butter, dill and salt.
- Pour the cold hapupiim into bowls and eat with the hot potatoes — the contrast of cold sour milk and hot buttery potato is the whole dish.
Technique
- Room temperature, not warm. A mesophilic culture gives the mild clean sourness that makes hapupiim drinkable by the glass.
- Cover with cloth. A sealed lid traps gas and the milk separates.
- Keep three spoonfuls back to start the next batch; it will run indefinitely.
Substitutions
- Crème fraîche or live sour cream as a starter, both of which carry mesophilic cultures.
- Live plain yoghurt at a stretch, though it gives a sharper, more yoghurt-like result.
Variations
- Drained through muslin it becomes a thick spread.
- The Finnish piimä and Swedish filmjölk are the same drink.
History
Soured milk kept longer than fresh in farm cellars; with new potatoes and dill it remains a summer meal in Estonian homes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hapupiim?
Hapupiim is a cheese & dairy from Estonia: thick soured milk poured over boiled potatoes in summer. Soured milk kept longer than fresh in farm cellars; with new potatoes and dill it remains a summer meal in Estonian homes.
How long does Hapupiim take to make?
Hapupiim takes 10 min plus 1 to 2 days souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 1.5 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Hapupiim?
Yes, within limits. Crème fraîche or live sour cream as a starter, both of which carry mesophilic cultures. Live plain yoghurt at a stretch, though it gives a sharper, more yoghurt-like result.
What is the most important thing to get right in Hapupiim?
Stir in the buttermilk, pour into a jug or a jar, and cover with a cloth rather than a lid.
