What is Rob and how is it made?
In dairy, rob is a Sudanese fermented milk. Fresh milk is left to ferment overnight into sour milk, which is churned into butter, and the liquid left behind is rob, similar to buttermilk. It is drunk as is or made into a dried granular cheese, kush-kush.
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In this article
What is rob?
Rob is a traditional fermented milk from Sudan, and the source we opened equates it with buttermilk. Nomadic tribes with livestock first made it.
How is rob made?
- Fresh milk is left to ferment overnight, so it turns into sour milk.
- The sour milk is churned to separate the butter.
- The liquid left behind is rob.
Because rob is a by-product of butter-making, a lot of it is discarded in some places. Most is produced in the rainy season, when animals have plenty of fresh grass and give more milk.
How is rob used?
- Drunk as is.
- Turned into kush-kush, a granular cheese dried in the sun.
- Kush-kush is used to make sorghum porridge.
Is any rob kept for later?
Yes. The source says much of the rob is discarded, but some is kept and dried into a hard granular cheese called kush-kush, so it can be stored for later use instead of being thrown away.
What does rob taste like?
Sour, since it comes from soured milk.
Is rob the same as buttermilk?
| Rob | Modern cultured buttermilk | |
|---|---|---|
| Made from | Soured milk after churning | Usually low-fat milk with cultures |
| Region | Sudan | Many countries |
| Texture | Thin, sour | Thin to slightly thick |
Traditional churned buttermilk and rob are similar.
Where can you buy it?
Mainly in Sudan. Elsewhere, plain buttermilk or kefir is the closest everyday swap.
Food safety
Traditional rob is homemade. If you try an unpasteurized fermented milk, ask about how it was made. Pregnant women and people with weak immunity should stick to pasteurized dairy.
People also ask
What is rob in dairy?
A Sudanese fermented milk, the liquid left after churning soured milk into butter.
Is rob the same as buttermilk?
Close. It is sometimes called buttermilk, though modern cultured buttermilk is made differently.
What is kush-kush?
A granular cheese made from rob and dried in the sun, used for sorghum porridge.
Sources
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