James Silverton > wrote:

> To me, "mild" is a synonym for "tasteless" but a number of people seem
> to disagree :-)

In Germany, yoghurt is invariably labelled "mild" and is invariably
bland and pointless. Kefir, which is never labelled "mild", is just as
bland. The only milk product of this kind that still has some
recognisable taste and is sold in regular groceries is Sauermilch (sour
milk), which is very much like good kefir, just a bit more liquid. So,
for the past few years, I've been buying faux kumyss (real kumyss is
made with fermented mare's milk; this one is from cow milk), kefir and
ryazhenka (baked yoghurt) from a Russian supermarket (not really
Russian, because most everything they sell is actually produced in
Germany). Those things still have a taste of their own. Kumyss, in
particular, is very intensive-tasting indeed. Very often it is still
fermenting and, though the instructions on the plastic bottle say to
shake it, you'd be a fool to do it, as the bottle is liable to almost
explode in your hands as you open it, spilling its contents all over the
place.

Victor