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Maja Knez

Clay Jug for Making Sour Milk

Sour

Material:
Clay
Description:

This is an old pitcher that my grandmother used for souring milk. Unfortunately, it is no longer functional.

Size:
It is 29cm high and 10cm wide. The lower diameter of the jug is 10cm, the upper opening is 13cm in diameter.
Age:
100 years
Method of Acquisition:
Inherited from my grandmother, in 2018.
Item Owner, Age and Location:
Maja Knez
, 40,
Nicholas
Date of Submission:
6. 1. 2021
Story:

In these earthenware pitchers, she often prepared homemade sour milk until around 1998. She had several pitchers, but this is the only one we have left. She also made homemade cottage cheese, which she used for prleška gibanica, a dish she loved to bake on weekends and during holidays. The sour milk she frequently made in the pitcher has an unforgettable taste for me—a flavor that reminds me of my youth and will always hold a special place in my memories.

 

She often prepared homemade sour milk in these pottery jugs, there until 1998. She had several jugs, but this is the only one we have found. She also made homemade cottage cheese and used it for Prleški gibanica, which she loved to bake on weekends and holidays. Sour milk, which she often prepared in an earthenware jug, had an unforgettable taste for me. This is a taste that reminds me of my youth and will always remain in my fond memory.

 

I was part of a generation that experienced life on a farm, learning about traditional farming tasks, the work of farmers, and their customs. Life was not easy, but it was much more tranquil and different from today. People were more connected; they knew how to celebrate together and help each other in ways that we rarely see now.

Color

Tastes appear in color systems as bipolar concepts, divided into opposites such as bitter-sweet, sour-salty and umami-kokumi. We associate sweet taste with the color orange, cyan blue with salty taste, green with sour, and magenta red with bitter. Shades of green are usually associated with growth, while yellow, orange and bright red indicate activity. On the other hand, dark red, magenta and purple symbolize slowing down, while passivity is expressed by various shades of blue.

 

dr. hc Vojko Pogačar, academic painter

Music

First, we chose musical instruments that illustrate different tastes: for the "salty" guitar (Astrid Kukovič), for the "bitter" piano (Sašo Vollmaier), for the "sour" harmonica (Dominik Cvitanič), for the "hot" violin (Andreja Klinc) and for the "sweet" flute (Asja Grauf).

 

Melodies were created spontaneously. The improvisations of the "bitter" melodies were low and legato, the "salty" were determined and articulate, the "sour" were high and dissonant, and the "sweet" were unison, slow and soft.

 

Asja Grauf, professor of flute

Movement

I experience salty as a mixture of all tastes. It awakens a pleasant, relaxed, unusual feeling in me. I associate this taste with long, emphasized and controlled body movements. Bitter is a taste that awakens confusion in me, because with each bite my body decides whether to approve of this taste or not. I associate with it fluid movement with various emphasized and accelerated movements. I can enjoy sweet for several hours a day. My body relaxes when I enjoy sweets for a long time, which cause a pleasant feeling of joy. I associate with sweet slow and easy movements. Sour usually ends quickly. Each bite causes a short shock in my body, and then disappears completely. I associate with sour taste abrupt, fast and uncontrolled movements. Hot is a taste that usually lasts a very long time. It awakens an unpleasant feeling in me that is hard to shake. These are long, strong movements and individual shorter, more intense ones that show evasion and discomfort.

 

Pina Batič, dancer

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF TASTE

An important task of modern museums is to connect the past with the present, to introduce innovative approaches for the education of new generations and to contribute to cultural and social development.

 

Read the personal stories of the individuals who contributed their items to the Museum of Taste.

 

At the same time, we invite you to join this project yourself and participate with your contributions.