kefir

American  

[kuh-feer] / kəˈfɪər /

Middle Eastern Cooking.

1. a tart-tasting drink originally of the Caucasus, made from cow's or sometimes goat's milk to which the bacteria Streptococcus and Lactobacillus have been added.

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Etymology

Origin of kefir

First recorded in 1880–85; from Russian kefír, apparently from a Caucasian language; compare Ossetic kʾæpy, kʾæpu “kefir,” Mingrelian kipuri “milk curdled in an animal skin”

Example Sentences

The kefir and fiber blend used in the trial was supplied by Chuckling Goat Ltd.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

For the first few days of the week she suggests I make a breakfast bowl of flax seeds, chia seeds, kefir, blueberries, kiwi or pomegranate.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

I keep kefir around because I don’t like dealing with hotel breakfast.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir and miso help replenish beneficial bacteria and restore gut balance.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2024

Koumiss is made in Russia from mare's milk and has much the same composition as kefir.

From Outlines of dairy bacteriology A concise manual for the use of students in dairying by Hastings, Edwin George