Clotted cream

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Clotted cream on scones with jam, also called Cream Tea. Note the little buttery clots on the yellow cream

Image showing the crust on clotted cream.

Clotted cream is a thick yellow cream made by heating unpasteurized cow's milk and then leaving it in shallow pans for several hours. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms 'clots'. Clotted cream purists prefer the milk to come from cows in Devon or Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

When clotted cream is not commercially available, a reasonable facsimile may be made by combining two parts whole milk with one part whipping (heavy) cream, heating at the very lowest possible heat for a couple of hours until a skin forms, leaving it undisturbed overnight, and then harvesting the skin and its underclots. The remaining milk may be drunk or used in any number of recipes.

In the European Union, Cornish clotted cream is a protected designation of origin for cream produced by the traditional recipe in Cornwall. True Cornish clotted cream must be made from unpasteurised milk or the clots will not form. It has a minimum fat content of 55%. In the United States, clotted cream is usually sold in specialty stores with the label 'Devon Double Cream', regardless of the country of origin.

Clotted cream is generally served as part of a cream tea (also known as a Devonshire Tea) on (warm) scones with strawberry or raspberry jam.

While there is no doubt of its strong association with southwest England, it is not clear whether clotted cream first originated in Devon or Cornwall; while strong claims have been made on behalf of both, there is a lack of documentary evidence to support them.

In Mongolian cuisine, clotted cream is called "Öröm". It is added to salted tea or eaten in small pieces as a snack. In a modern household, it also sometimes serves as a replacement for butter on a slice of bread.

Indian Malai is very similar to clotted cream, and is produced in much the same way.

Kaymak (or Kajmak) is also similar to clotted cream. It is made all over the Middle East, Southeast Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Turkey. Kaymak is made from the milk of water buffaloes in the East or cows in the West.