Traditional food and practices for health: Iranian dairy foods

Abstract Today, traditional dairy foods have been produced throughout Iran particularly in rural areas, whereas it has been documented that pastoralism probably has started around 800 BCE in Persia. Fermentation, boiling, salting, and drying have been utilized to maintain safety and to control the spoilage in ethnic Persian dairy products for centuries. The positive effects of lactic acid bacteria in Mast (yogurt), sour buttermilk, Doogh, kefir, different cheeses, and Kashk are interesting research subjects for Iranian scholars. Traditional dairy products made from ovine, caprine, or bovine milk such as sour Doogh (sour buttermilk), Kashk, Kashk-e Zard, Tarkhineh, and various types of cheeses such as Siamazgi cheese, Pot cheese, and Lighvan cheese have been investigated to characterize their properties.