"Milky flowers" - what does it mean? What links snowdrops, tea, nutmeg and cheese?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

What do they mean when they talk about milk flowers? It turns out that they are completely different things … What connects snowdrops, a kind of Chinese tea, such a spice as nutmeg, and mozzarella, a type of Italian cheese? And what about milk flowers? Let's try to figure it out…

Snowdrop - milky flower

The Latin name for snowdrops, Galanthus, translated into Russian means "milky flowers". The photo below makes it easy to understand why such a name was attached to them - the white flowers of this plant really resemble milk droplets in shape.

Snowdrops have been known to people since ancient times. Homer also mentioned them, describing the wanderings of Odysseus. According to legend, it was the snowdrops (Moth grass) that the god Hermes handed over to the famous hero so that he could resist the spells of the sorceress Circe.

There are eighteen kinds of milk flowers in total. In nature, they are found in central and southern Europe, as well as in Asia and the Caucasus. Today, this plant is recognized as rare: all species are underprotected and listed in the Red Books of many countries.

The leaves of this plant are elongated, narrow, usually light or dark green. The flowers are shaped like small white bells with green spots. Each flower has six petals: three on the outside and three on the inside.

Snowdrops grow not only in the wild. They look very impressive in the garden - between trees, in flower beds or lawns. In pots on loggias and window sills, you can also grow "dairy flowers" (the photo below is far from the only option for such a balcony greenhouse).

If you create favorable conditions for the bulbs of this plant, snowdrop flowers will please the eye for a long time.

Milk Oolong - Fire Flower

Oolong, or oolong, is a special type of tea, in terms of the degree of fermentation, it occupies an intermediate position between black and green. The most popular tea in this category is milk oolong tea.

The birthplace of this variety of tea is Taiwan. It is made on the basis of a tea variety called Golden Flower (Jin Xuan). It grows in the mountains at almost a kilometer height. Tea is harvested twice a year: in spring and autumn.

Due to the name of the milk oolong, as well as the pronounced creamy taste of brewed tea, it is widely believed that it is soaked in milk in a special way. However, this is not how this tea is actually made.

There are actually two ways to flavor milk oolong. First, enoughtime-consuming and expensive, involves the processing of tea bushes with a solution of cane sugar. After that, the roots of each bush are watered with milk diluted in water, and then the plant is sprinkled with rice husks. The second method is simpler and cheaper - already collected tea leaves are flavored by treating with milk extract, which ultimately also leads to the desired result.

How to brew milk oolong

It is best to brew such tea in earthenware or porcelain dishes. Beforehand, it is recommended to pour over the container with boiling water - this is necessary to eliminate foreign odors. Next, you should pour tea from the following calculation: one teaspoon of tea leaves for one person, and pour water that has cooled to ninety-five degrees. Before drinking, let the oolong brew for one minute. Milk oolong can be brewed up to eight times in a row, and each time new notes will appear in its taste.

"Milk Flowers" Muscat

The photo below shows one of the most famous spices in the world - nutmeg.

Muskatnik is an evergreen tree that grows mainly in Asia and Polynesia, South America and Africa. The bright aroma and spicy-burning taste of this spice has been used in the production of confectionery and cooking since ancient times.

As a spice, only three types of this plant are used, of which the most common is fragrant nutmeg. Its seeds are nothing more than "nutmegnut". But the "nutmeg color", or mace - a yellow-orange powder, the taste of which is more delicate than that of nutmeg seeds - is actually not made from flowers at all. The nickname "milk flowers" that is sometimes applied to them is incorrect, but justified by the fact that nutmeg is very popular as an addition to many dairy dishes. Thus, in European and Asian cuisines, this spice is put in in small quantities in various creamy soups, sauces and milk-based drinks. This spice is also often flavored with various cheeses and cottage cheese. It is nutmeg that is the classic seasoning that is part of the famous French milk sauce "Béchamel".

And "milky flower" is… cheese

And now a few words about… mozzarella. What links the famous Italian cheese and milk flowers?

The fact is that the name "mozzarella" actually combines several varieties of cheese. The classic version is Mozarella di Bufala, a premium product made directly in Italy from black buffalo milk. Much more common in the world is another variety of this cheese - Fior di Latte, which translates precisely as "milky flower". Made from whole cow's milk, selected lactic ferments and natural starter cultures, this variety of mozzarella is tastier thanclassic version. However, it is cheaper, more readily available, and can be stored in brine (vacuum-packed) for up to one month.