Which brand of milk is the closest match to the standard big chain supermarket 2L stuff? (Blue top) I've tried so many, and they are quite bad. I take it the Polish are not big on home made milk shakes? :)
Which Polish milk brand is closest to UK supermarket style milk?
Buy the stuff in plastic bottles rather than the cartons of Uht. You'll find it in the chiller cabinet near the yoghurt etc. One brand is much the same as any other, however if you want something like Blue Top, you'll need to buy the 3.6% fat milk.
The best Polish milk is probably "Zimne mleko" which is microfiltrated and comes in glass bottles. You can get more information from their website in English:
zimnemleko.com/?lang=en
zimnemleko.com/?lang=en
If you're buying non-UHT ... be careful during the summer; I've found quite often it's already sour when I got it home. i guess the supply chain doesn't keep it properly refridgerated.
i guess the supply chain doesn't keep it properly refridgerated.
The shops sometimes keep it on the shelves until it's all sold, despite having a new delivery going sour in the back room.
The best Polish milk is probably "Zimne mleko"
Most shops don't sell it.
The stuff in the bags is usually OK, but as I mentioned, you'll need the 3.6% stuff.
Arguably the freshest and most natural milk you can buy is from the "mlekomat" milk distributors. The milk comes straight from the farm, is not treated / processed in any way.
It stays drinkable for a very limited time.
You can bring your own bottle or get one from a dispenser on the spot.
A list of them can be found here:
mlekomaty.org/swieze-mleko/2.190.lista-mlekomatow/
In Warsaw they unfortunately for me can only be found in the south of the city and on the left bank. There used to be one at Hala Mirowska, but is not there anymore.
It stays drinkable for a very limited time.
You can bring your own bottle or get one from a dispenser on the spot.
A list of them can be found here:
mlekomaty.org/swieze-mleko/2.190.lista-mlekomatow/
In Warsaw they unfortunately for me can only be found in the south of the city and on the left bank. There used to be one at Hala Mirowska, but is not there anymore.
Most shops don't sell it.
You won't get it in small shops, but usually it is available in big stores of which their website lists 64 in Warsaw including Alma Market, Auchan, Carrefour Hipermarket, Carrefour Market (20 stores - the bigest distributor of this milk in the capital), E.Leclerc, Elea, Kaufland, Piotr i Paweł, Real, Selgros.
Arguably the freshest and most natural milk you can buy is from the "mlekomat" milk distributors. The milk comes straight from the farm, is not treated / processed in any way.
Obviously, such a milk is definitely so. From what you write, I guess this milk is not even pasteurized which is a very good thing, je crois.
teflpuss
21 May 2014 / #8
mlekomat
Agree. There's one in my nearest town. As you say, the machine sells plastic bottles for 1PLN if you don't bring your own. The best milk I've had in Poland.
From what you write, I guess this milk is not even pasteurized which is a very good thing, je crois.
Yep, that's the case. It comes straight from the farm. Nothing can beat that taste.
not even pasteurized
A very bad idea. Pasteurisation has saved a lot of lives over the years.
From what you write, I guess this milk is not even pasteurized which is a very good thing, je crois.
Yep, that's the case. It comes straight from the farm. Nothing can beat that taste.
Indeed, pasteurisation does change the taste of the milk very much. I used to drink non-pasteurised milk tout au long de my childhood and adolescence, so I know what you are talking about.
I used to drink non-pasteurised milk tout au long de my childhood and adolescence, so I know what you are talking about.
Indeed. In the developing world people often have little choice. A shame when people risk theirs or their children's lives by doing it when there are better alternatives.
In Poland, although dairy products are generally of poorer quality than most Brits are used to, the milk in most shops is at least treated to prevent infection.
Worth a read if anyone's thinking about buying unpasteurised milk in this day and age:
Raw or unpasteurised milk is milk that comes directly from a cow's, goat's, sheep or other animal's udder, and has not been treated to kill bacteria... Consuming raw milk can cause severe illness due to the possible presence of harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli O157, Campylobacter and Listeria monocytogenes. Pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of getting sick and the consequences for them can be more severe....
Pathogenic bacteria can pass into milk directly from an infected udder or milk can get contaminated from the dairy farm environment during milking e.g. from unseen faecal contamination of the teat...
Pathogenic bacteria can pass into milk directly from an infected udder or milk can get contaminated from the dairy farm environment during milking e.g. from unseen faecal contamination of the teat...
foodsmart.govt.nz/food-safety/high-risk-foods/raw-milk/rawmilk.htm
We of course we all could go the American Wallmart model. Everything processed, "cheese-flavored', milk-like etc... Read today how much meat you can find in a McDo...
Every germ and bacteria sterilized. In the end we will be "eating" all the same "food", dictated by Unilever, Nestle, Kraft & Co.
Every germ and bacteria sterilized. In the end we will be "eating" all the same "food", dictated by Unilever, Nestle, Kraft & Co.
I'd avoid Walmart too and stick to reputable suppliers of milk. But never raw milk which is dangerous.
But never raw milk which is dangerous.
Raw milk can be dangerous if not treated correctly. For the Mlekomats, the milk is instantly chilled from the udder down to 1.5 degrees C which inhibits the growth of bacterial cultures. Provided you keep it cold and drink it within a week, which is not hard because it's so tasty.
I found, when I first arrived here, that fresh milk was really hard to find, but now there is a good selection. I would also reccommend Zimne Mleko or the Mlekomat (the latter being possibly the best milk I have every tasted in my life). But you will also find "Swieze Mleko" in white (not clear) PET bottles which is good for keeping the milk for quite a while.
Don't touch UHT with a barge pole. Unless you are living on a submarine...
bgf
22 Jun 2014 / #16
you can make your own kefir from non pasteurised milk. delicious and very heathy. i drink it 7 days a week during the summer. so easy to prepare
So, this is all propaganda then about the dangers of raw milk?!
fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm
Quite remarkable that in Poland it's "ok" to have raw milk, if that US FDA advice is accurate. I am perplexed, to say the least.
Milk and milk products provide a wealth of nutrition benefits. But raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to you and your family. According to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1993 and 2006 more than 1500 people in the United States became sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk. In addition, CDC reported that unpasteurized milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illness and results in 13 times more hospitalizations than illnesses involving pasteurized dairy products.
Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. This raw, unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses.
Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. This raw, unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses.
fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/consumers/ucm079516.htm
Quite remarkable that in Poland it's "ok" to have raw milk, if that US FDA advice is accurate. I am perplexed, to say the least.
1993 and 2006 more than 1500 people in the United States became sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk.
So about a hundred a year for a population of 320,000,000. Now where's that unpasteurised brie I've been looking forward to?
Quite remarkable that in Poland it's "ok" to have raw milk, if that US FDA advice is accurate. I am perplexed, to say the least.
Doesn't this advice come from the same country that injects hormones into its cattle, that cleans chicken with chlorine and that is one of the world's leaders (thank you Mexico!) with obesity?
And yet even they draw the line at raw milk, so what does that tell you?
bgf
22 Jun 2014 / #21
it tells me that people in the past drank raw milk all their life and they lived longer then the younger generations.
So about a hundred a year for a population of 320,000,000
Works out to about 0.00003% of the population in a given year. I am with you, take the risk!
it tells me that people in the past drank raw milk all their life and they lived longer then the younger generations.
Where life expectancy was greater (not sure where that was but assuming you're right) that'd not be down to the milk, that'd be down to the omission of various lab made additives in food, not being poisoned by polluted roads and diesel fumes, being more active in their lifestyle, not spending their life fretting about keeping up with the Nowaks, etc etc.
life and they lived longer then the younger generations
So you're saying that people lived longer in the past?
Pasteurisation is one of the greatest advances in medicine ever.
Agreed, and it's just not worth the risk drinking milk straight from the cow, although it does taste great. Having said that, for a healthy, non-pregnant adult the risk posed by unpasteurised cheese is minimal if it comes from a reputable supplier.
"In 1996 there were 516 reported food poisoning cases in the UK. 17 related to milk and dairy, none of those relating to unpasteurised cheese. Water also accounted for 17 cases." Source
I can't vouch for the veracity of this claim, but if true, the risk seems very small indeed.
"In 1996 there were 516 reported food poisoning cases in the UK. 17 related to milk and dairy, none of those relating to unpasteurised cheese. Water also accounted for 17 cases." Source
thegoodsshed.co.uk/unpasteurised-cheese/
I can't vouch for the veracity of this claim, but if true, the risk seems very small indeed.
Jaceny
28 Feb 2015 / #26
The main problem being, with paseurisatin you cannot have sour milk. And potatos with sour milk is one of my favorites
I hear that if you add 2 cups shop-bought buttermilk to a gallon of pasteurised milk, it will clabber and become pleasantly tart. Some do this by adding 1 cup sour cream. Anybody out there ever try this? American (non-Polonian) sources suggest souring milk with lemon juice.
In Poland and Polish markets in the US one can find ready-to-use commercially produced zsiadłe młeko (sour milk) in the dairy case.
In Poland and Polish markets in the US one can find ready-to-use commercially produced zsiadłe młeko (sour milk) in the dairy case.
It's no problem to get sour milk leaving the one sold in bags for a longer time. Also the one sold in bottles will work, although slower. The milk sold in bags is also pasteurised, but it is somehow less processed from the one in bottles.
Jaceny
7 Mar 2015 / #29
If it has it's microbes killed, it will not turn sour, period. Left alone for a time, it will just get spoilt. You can try to add some yoghurt to it, but that way you will get more yoghurt, not the sour milk.
The best way, visit some farmer and buy a proper milk. After leaving it to sour, you will be able eat it with a fork.
The best way, visit some farmer and buy a proper milk. After leaving it to sour, you will be able eat it with a fork.
When I was growing up in Poland my mom always boiled the milk before we used it.
Unless we were on my grandparents farm, where we drank it straight from the cow. Sort of speak. ;)
I guess she trusted our cows, or the delivery system, more.
Unless we were on my grandparents farm, where we drank it straight from the cow. Sort of speak. ;)
I guess she trusted our cows, or the delivery system, more.