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Fermented milk from Sweden

Filmjölkfilmjölk

Filmjölk is Swedish soured milk, made with mesophilic lactic bacteria that work at room temperature. Milk with about 3 % fat is soured for about a day at 20–25 °C until it thickens to a mild, slightly buttery, drinkable curd near pH 4.5. It is eaten with a spoon, often with cereal.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Filmjölk itself.

DocumentedFermented milk12 h – 36 h

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceHome method for about a quart (Texas Real Food guide). Dairies use defined cultures and do not publish amounts.
Cow milkPasteurised; standard filmjölk has 2.5–3 % fat, lättfil 0.4–0.5 %[wp][texasrealfood]
Filmjölk from the last batch, as starterAbout 1 tablespoon per quart of milkHome method; the page also gives a stronger 2 tablespoons per cup[texasrealfood]
Starterdefined-culture (dairy) | backslop (home)

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 h – 36 h

Start
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What changes: The milk is heat-treated and cooled to room temperature

Step 1 of 4
Heat-treat and cool the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Leuconostoc
Lactococcus lactis
L. mesenteroides

Output: milk ready to inoculate.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

heat kills most milk bacteria

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Filmjölk is Swedish soured milk, made with mesophilic lactic bacteria that work at room temperature. Milk with about 3 % fat is soured for about a day at 20–25 °C until it thickens to a mild, slightly buttery, drinkable curd near pH 4.5. It is eaten with a spoon, often with cereal. Made in 4 steps over 12 h – 36 h. The longest step, sour at room temperature, takes 12–36 h (Discover Real Food in Texas) and runs at 20–25 °C (Discover Real Food in Texas). Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and subsp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis biovar diacetylactis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step12–36 hReported[texasrealfood]Sour at room temperature
Temperature20–25 °CReported[texasrealfood][arla]Sour at room temperature

What makes this one different

Filmjölk is soured at room temperature by mesophilic lactococci, not by the thermophilic bacteria of yoghurt, so it sets softer and tastes milder and more buttery. Långfil uses a ropy strain that makes it stringy.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Långfil (see entry)Adds the ropy, slime-forming Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis var. longi; 3 % fat.
  • Filbunke / fjällfilSoured unstirred in small bowls and eaten as a set curd.
  • Lättfil and mellanfilLower-fat versions (0.4–0.5 % and 1.3–1.5 % fat).
  • BollnäsfilA local culture from Bollnäs; 3 % fat.
  • Probiotic fil (A-fil, Onaka, Cultura, ProViva, Philura, Verum hälsofil, Öresundsfil)Adds L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, L. casei F19, L. plantarum 299v or Lc. lactis L1A.
  • Kefir-filA kefir-style fil, sold from 1977.
  • Laktosfri filLactase-treated; 3.5 % fat.

Safety

Made from heat-treated milk and kept refrigerated.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The word filmjölk is recorded in Swedish from 1741. Arla began selling it in 1931, with långfil in 1965, lättfil in 1967, kefir-fil in 1977, A-fil in 1984 and Onaka in 1990.

  1. [himal19] Mechanistic insights into probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria associated with ethnic fermented dairy products, Frontiers in Microbiology 2019, 10:502, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00502 (filmjölk and långfil dominated by mesophilic lactococci)paper
  2. [arla] Arla Foods Sweden 2023, Arla Pro snabbguide till våra syrade mejeriprodukter (quick guide to fermented dairy products)web
  3. [texasrealfood] Discover Real Food in Texas, How to ferment filmjölk (home guide; 20–25 °C, 12–36 h)web
  4. [wp] Wikipedia, Filmjölk (cultures, fat levels and dates, citing Arla and other Swedish dairies)wiki