Long Viili Vs. Short Viili

Short Vs. Long Viili

Did your Viili lose its stretch? Don’t fret! You now have an all new yogurt. Short Viili. You may be asking yourself “Can I fix this?” Unfortunately most of the time when this happens it’s irreversible. You see Viili has a flora of bacteria and one of those is specifically responsible for its characteristically ropey texture. Lactococcus Lactis subsp. Cremoris is primarily behind the slime like texture and once lost, the yogurt will never be the same. That’s not to say the resulting yogurt should be trash bin bound. It still has all the necessary bacteria to culture and coagulate milk into yogurt just without the ropey texture.

What is Long Viili? Long Viili is a mesophilic fermented milk product commonly found in Finland. More specifically a yogurt. It needs no fancy yogurt making equipment as it ferments happily at room temperature between 70-78 F. It contains many strains of good beneficial bacteria and yeasts that work together to culture and coagulate milk into yogurt. The slime forming Lactococcus Lactis subsp. Cremoris produces phosphate containing heteropolysaccharides as well as exopolysaccharides which form the ropey consistency of Viili.

What is Short Viili? In a nutshell, it’s Viili with the texture of something along the lines of Fil or Piima. Short Viili may be an accident but I feel it still has a place in the yogurt world. Long Viili tastes great with its buttery flavor. Unfortunately for some the mouth feel can be overwhelming. Now you can have that same great flavor without the texture turn off.