KOUMISS  ,

milk-wine, or milk brandy, a fermented alcoholic beverage prepared from milk . It is of very ancient origin, and according to Herodotus was known to the Scythians . The name is said to be derived from an ancient Asiatic tribe, the Kumanes or Komans . It is one of the staple articles of diet of the Siberian and Caucasian races, but of late years it has also been manufactured on a considerable scale in western Europe, on account of its valuable medicinal properties . It is generally made from mares' or camels' milk by a process of fermentation set up by the addition to the fresh milk of a small quantity of the finished article . This fermentation, which appears to be of a symbiotic nature, being dependent on the action of two distinct types of organisms, the one a fission fungus, the other a true yeast, eventuates in the conversion of a part of the milk sugar into lactic acid and alcohol . Koumiss generally contains r to 2 % of alcohol, 0.5 to 1.5% of lactic acid, 2 to 4% of milk sugar and 1 to 2% of fat . Kefir is similar to koumiss, but is usually prepared from cows' milk, and the fermentation is brought about by the so-called Kefir Grains (derived from a plant) .