History

Kefir history started thousands of years ago when shepherds and townsmen of the Caucasus Mountains discovered “kefir grains”. These “grains” are actually not grains but is a delicate combination of beneficial yeast and bacteria.

The shepherds accidentally discovered this magical food when they kept raw milk in their leather pouches which fermented into a effervescent, carbonated drink. At first, they did not know anything about this new food. They just realized that they felt more energetic, healthier and were freed from diseases after taking it. What used to be fresh milk turned into a cultured beverage, which the shepherds later discovered to have numerous health benefits.

In the early 1900s, the All-Russian Physicians' Society heard the magical remedy of kefir. They contacted the most popular dairy farmers in Russia, two Blandovs brothers, who owned a cheese factory in the northern Caucasus Mountains. The society asked the two brothers for their help to obtain the kefir culture. The Moscow dairy brothers took on the task to monopolize to be the only kefir producers in the region, and planned to use one of their employees, a beautiful young woman named Irina Sakharova, to coax a Caucasian prince, Bek-Mirza Barchorov into giving her some kefir grains with the recipe.

Although the prince was captivated by the beautiful lady, he was afraid of being punished for giving the “Prophet Grains”, hence he refused to give her any of his precious probiotic-jewels. However, the beauty-dazzled prince wasn't willing to giving up Irina, so he instructed some of his men to kidnap her as she returned home. It was a local practice “to steal a bride”. Against her will, the mountain tribesmen brought Irina back to the prince's courtyard, where the prince, hoping to win her love, proposed her hand in marriage, however, Irina understandably refused.

The Blandovs brothers eventually rescued Irina from the clutches of the prince. Then, backed by the two brothers, Irina brought her case against the prince to the Czar's court. The prince offered Irina gold and jewels as reparation for the crimes done against her, but she refused his offer. Instead, as a settlement of her suit against Prince Bek-Mirza Barchorov, Irina demanded, and received, probiotic jewels [kefir grains] instead to make up for the embarrassment he had caused her. In late 1908, Irina Sakharova brought the first amounts of kefir to Moscow, where it was used medicinally in lung sanatoriums as part-treatment for tuberculosis with good success.

At the age of 85, in 1973 Irina received a letter from the Minister of the Food Industry of the former USSR, expressing grateful acknowledgement for her primary role in bringing kefir to the Russian people of the former USSR.

Source :

• http://www.thewalkingencyclopedia.com/kefir/
• http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#Kefir-history