Kaymak, sarshir, or qashta/ashta ( ; or ; ) is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream, made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep, or goats in Central Asia, Turkic regions, some Balkan countries, some Caucasus countries, and the Levant.
The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the raw milk slowly, then simmer it for two hours over a very low heat. After the heat source is shut off, the cream is skimmed and left to chill (and mildly ferment) for several hours or days. Kaymak has a high percentage of milk fat, typically about 60%. It has a thick, creamy consistency (not entirely compact, because of milk protein fibers) and a rich taste.
Both the name kaymak and the food itself are associated with Turkic traditions. The word kaymak has Turkic origins, possibly formed from the verb , which means 'melt' and 'molding of metal' in Turkic. The first written records of the word kaymak is in the of Mahmud al-Kashgari. The word remains as in Mongolian, which refers to a fried clotted cream, and with small variations in Turkic languages as in Azerbaijani, in Uzbek, in Kazakh and Shor, in Kyrgyz, in Turkish, in Turkmen, () in Georgian, () in Greek, and () in Serbo-Croatian, in Romanian.
The dairy product is widely linked in modern reference works to Central Asian and Turkic foodways before its wider distribution across Türkiye, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, and neighboring regions.
In the Ottoman period, dedicated kaymakçñ shops were established in Istanbul, and kaymak has been consumed there for centuries. In Türkiye, kaymak is commonly eaten at breakfast and is especially associated with the traditional Turkish breakfast. A well-known regional variety is produced in Afyonkarahisar, where water buffalo are fed the residue of poppy seeds pressed for oil (), a practice described in official sources as contributing to the character of Afyon kaymaÃÂñ. Kaymak is traditionally eaten with honey (), fruit preserves, and desserts such as baklava and ekmek kadayñfñ.
Known as , it is almost always made at home, though commercial production has increased. Kajmak is most expensive when at its freshestâÂÂonly a day or two old. It can keep for weeks in the refrigerator but becomes harder and loses quality.
In parts of the Balkans, kajmak may be matured in dried animal-skin sacks; one such traditional form is known as skorup. Kajmak is commonly eaten as an appetizer, breakfast food, or condiment, and is often served with lepinja. In Serbia, it is used as a filling in KaraÃÂorÃÂeva à ¡nicla and is also served with dishes such as pljeskavica. In Albanian, ajkë is a general term for cream.
As in Turkey, or Afghanistan is a cream-like dairy product associated with breakfast and other morning foods. Historical accounts of Afghan foodways also refer to in tea; Alexander Burnes in 1829 noted keimuk chah, described as tea with the fat skimmed from boiling milk.
In the Adjara region of Georgia, bordering Turkey, () is traditionally prepared in the mountainous municipalities of Keda, Shuakhevi, and Khulo. It is mainly made from cow's milk, though buffalo, sheep, and goat milk are also used. Kaimaghi is associated especially with breakfast, and is commonly eaten with cheese, bread or mchadi, as well as with jams, honey, or coffee.
() is a soft cream cheese that can be spread on bread or used in cooking as a filling in food and for desserts. Kaïmaki can also be found as a chewy ice cream that is flavoured with mastic.
In Iraq, it is called , , or () and is a popular breakfast food. Iraqi qaymar is especially associated with buffalo milk and with the marshes of southern Iraq. It is commonly served for breakfast with bread, honey, or jam, and especially with the layered pastry .
In Iran, it is called (), literally "top of the milk", and refers to the fatty cream layer that forms on heated or boiled milk and is skimmed off after cooling.
In Armenian, the general word for cream is (). Historical sources indicate that cream-based dairy products were part of Armenian village life, including in Western Armenian communities, though the available sources do not clearly establish a single standardized modern Armenian term for kaymak as a distinct commercial product.