Ingredients
Milk
- 1 litrewhole cow milk, or sheep or buffalo milk for a richer set
- 3 tbsplive matsun from a previous batch, or 3 tbsp live full-fat plain yoghurt as a starter
Equipment
- a heavy pan
- a thermometer
- a clean glass or clay jar with a lid
- a thick towel or a blanket
To make tan (the drink)
- 200 mlmatsun
- 300 mlcold water
- ½ tspsalt
- a few dried mint leaves or a cucumber, optional
Directions
- Heat the milk slowly in a heavy pan to 90°C (195°F), stirring so it does not catch, and hold it there for 5 to 10 minutes. This is not pasteurisation alone: it denatures the whey proteins so they join the curd, which is what gives matsun its thick, spoonable set.
- Cool the milk to 43 to 45°C (115°F). Test it the traditional way if you have no thermometer: you should be able to hold a clean little finger in it for a slow count of ten.
- Stir the starter into a cup of the warm milk until smooth, then stir that back into the pan, gently and thoroughly.
- Pour into the clean jar, cover, and wrap it in a thick towel or blanket. Traditionally the jar goes into a warm corner, near the stove or wrapped in a quilt.
- Leave it completely undisturbed for 5 to 8 hours at around 40°C (105°F). Moving or stirring during setting breaks the curd and gives a grainy, weeping matsun.
- It is ready when it has set firm enough that the jar can be tilted without the surface sliding, and it smells cleanly sour with a faint scent of cooked milk. A thin layer of whey on top is normal.
- Chill it immediately for at least 4 hours; the set firms further in the cold and the acidity stops climbing. Keep 3 tbsp back as the starter for the next batch.
- To make tan, whisk matsun with cold water and salt until frothy and pour over ice. To make it thick for spreading, drain matsun in muslin for 6 hours to make kamats matsun.
Technique
- Matsun is not simply the Armenian word for yoghurt. Traditional Armenian cultures are often a mixed population including thermophilic lactobacilli alongside the standard Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and some village cultures include lactose-fermenting yeasts, which gives matsun a sharper, slightly more complex tang.
- A culture kept alive by back-slopping drifts over time. Refresh it weekly and start again from a new live culture every couple of months if it turns sour too fast or stops setting.
- Temperature is the only real variable. Too hot and the culture dies and the milk stays liquid; too cool and it sets slowly and can pick up unwanted bacteria.
- Matsun is eaten at almost every meal in Armenia: alongside dolma and pilaf, thinned into tan, cooked into spas soup, and drained into a thick spread.
Substitutions
- No matsun to start with: any live plain yoghurt with named cultures works as a first starter, though the flavour drifts toward standard yoghurt. A freeze-dried Caucasian yoghurt culture is closer.
- Sheep milk gives a thicker, richer matsun and is the traditional choice in the mountains.
Variations
- Kamats matsun is matsun drained in cloth to a thick, salted spread, eaten with lavash and herbs.
- Spas, or tanapur, is matsun soup thickened with egg and flour and cooked with hulled wheat and herbs, served hot.
History
Home-cultured soured milk; strained it becomes cheese, salted and diluted it becomes the drink tan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Matsun?
Matsun is a cheese & dairy from Armenia: tart set yoghurt eaten at every meal and thinned into tan. Home-cultured soured milk; strained it becomes cheese, salted and diluted it becomes the drink tan.
How long does Matsun take to make?
Matsun takes 10 min of preparation and 30 min plus 5 to 8 hr setting of cooking. The recipe makes 1 litre. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Matsun?
Yes, within limits. No matsun to start with: any live plain yoghurt with named cultures works as a first starter, though the flavour drifts toward standard yoghurt. A freeze-dried Caucasian yoghurt culture is closer. Sheep milk gives a thicker, richer matsun and is the traditional choice in the mountains.
What is the most important thing to get right in Matsun?
Temperature is the only real variable. Too hot and the culture dies and the milk stays liquid; too cool and it sets slowly and can pick up unwanted bacteria.
