Chapter 123 - 122: The Cow’s Milk... Has Gone Bad, Right?
How much cow’s milk was this, really? To Ye Xinyan, it naturally didn’t seem like much, nor was she concerned about running out of cow’s milk. In her memory, as far back as the Tang Dynasty during the period of great ethnic integration, dairy products had begun to prevail in the Central Plains region. However, in the era that Ye Xinyan had traveled to, milk fermentation appeared to be an unacceptable practice.
Qi Younian had once been stationed at the Northern border, and he knew that nomadic tribes such as the Northern Barbarians considered dairy an important part of their diet. But as for the Great Xia Dynasty, which primarily focused on agriculture, they looked down upon the Barbarians’ dietary habits and couldn’t stand the pungent smell of the dairy products made by the nomadic tribes.
In this respect, the old Mr. Qi Younian maintained a stance that was highly consistent with the court’s attitude toward the Barbarian regions.
Given all this, when it came to milk fermentation, Ye Xinyan simply gave a brief explanation to the people around her and, amidst their puzzled looks, gave up on trying to convince them of her method.
Many examples have proven that many things, before they are formally introduced, are futile to describe with mere words.
In addition to her busy work at the dairy farm, Ye Xinyan instructed the workers to collect fresh cow’s milk from different times, store it in wooden barrels, and place them in the cool storage of the dairy farm to await natural fermentation.
The simplest way to process cow’s milk was through fermentation. By letting the fresh cow’s milk ferment, the milky liquid rich in cream would separate and rise to the top, above the sour milk.
About two days later, the creamy white surface of the cow’s milk turned a dull white, and the whole barrel of milk was in a distinctly semi-solid state.