Kajmak

Easy·10 min

A rich dairy spread skimmed from the skin of slowly simmered, fat-heavy milk, ranging from a fresh, fluffy young version to a tangy aged one. Spread thick on warm bread, it is the soul of a Serbian breakfast and the silky topping that crowns grilled meats.

Milk

Salt

Bread

A specialty especially of the Čačak and Kraljevo area west of the Great Morava river, with deep roots across the Balkans and the broader former Ottoman world.

Cool, dense, and almost buttery, melting into warm bread with a faint dairy sweetness when young. Aged kajmak turns firmer and pleasantly sharp, like the cultured tang of a fine soured cream, and dissolves into a glossy slick over hot ćevapi.

Gentle simmering drives milkfat and denatured whey proteins to the surface, where they bind into a cohesive cream skin as the liquid cools. Repeated skimming and light salting concentrate the fat, and slow cold storage allows beneficial cultures to develop the characteristic aged tang.

Variations

young fresh (mladi) vs aged/matured (stari/zreli) kajmak, smoked versions, kajmak whipped into komplet lepinja or spooned over grilled meats

On the Palate

Where Kajmak sits in the Serbian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 8

3 LMilk

1 tspSalt

to serveBread

How it's made

8 steps · 10 min

1
5 min
Pour full-fat fresh milk (ideally unhomogenized) into a wide shallow pot to maximize surface area.
2
8 min
Bring the milk slowly to a gentle simmer over low heat without letting it boil over.
3
20 min
Keep it at a bare simmer for about 20 minutes so a thick skin of cream forms on the surface.
Watch out
Hold it at a bare, barely-trembling simmer — a hard boil breaks the cream skin apart instead of letting it form into one thick sheet on top.
4
240 min
Turn off the heat and let the pot stand undisturbed at room temperature so the skin sets as it cools.
Watch out
Once the heat's off, don't touch or jostle the pot — the skin needs to sit dead still as it cools so it sets into one liftable layer.
5
10 min
Carefully lift the cooled cream skin off the surface with a slotted skimmer and lay it in a clean dish.
Watch out
Slide the skimmer under and lift the skin off whole in one gentle sheet — tear it and the layers won't stack neatly for the next skimming.
6
15 min
Repeat skimming over the next day or two as new skins form, layering them up and lightly salting.
7
2880 min
Leave the collected layers to rest in a cool place, where fresh kajmak stays mild and aging deepens the tang.
8
5 min
Serve at room temperature, scooped onto warm bread or melting over hot grilled meat.