Kaimak

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A creamy substance derived from the top layer of milk, often associated with Turkish coffee or traditional dishes
2. A rich, thick layer of cream that forms during the cooling process of milk, used in various culinary contexts
3. A type of frothy, smooth cream obtained from the surface of boiled milk, celebrated in certain regional cuisines

Etymology: Kaimak is the older English spelling of a word that English borrowed from Turkish, where "kaymak" means "cream." Turkish took it from Ottoman Turkish, the court and administrative language of the Ottoman Empire, which wrote it in Arabic script as قایماق. The word therefore reached English by way of a Turkish dish-and-drink vocabulary rather than through Latin or French, the route most English food terms follow. The substance itself is a thick, clotted cream skimmed from the surface of milk as it is heated and left to cool, and it is most familiar in Turkey as a topping for breakfast bread and as an accompaniment to Turkish coffee. The word is a sensible name for it: it describes exactly what the product is, the cream that rises to the top.

Synonyms: cream, clotted cream, dairy spread, rich topping, milk cream