Kamavaht

Kamavaht is an Estonian sweet made by folding kama, a flour of roasted grains and legumes, into whipped cream. The aroma of the roasted grains spreads through the light whipped cream. It is served with berries or jam and eaten with a spoon from a glass.

Folding a Toasty Flour into Foam

Kama is a blend of flours made from roasted and ground rye, oats, barley, peas and other ingredients. The proportions vary from maker to maker. In one example, sugar is added to fresh cream, the cream is whipped until stiff, and kama is gently folded in just before serving. Adding the toasty flour while keeping the foam intact gives the dessert both a mousse-like lightness and the flavor of grain.

The accompaniments also vary. Pairing it with tart jam, cranberries or blueberries, chopped nuts and the like adds fruit flavor and the texture of small pieces to the milky sweetness. Some versions also mix fresh cheese or yogurt into the cream.

A Flour Taken to the Fields

Kama is a flour that has long been eaten mixed into drinking yogurt and fermented milk as well; it is not an ingredient used only for sweets. Because the flour itself has a roasted aroma, it can flavor dairy products with little effort. Food-culture materials from Mulgimaa in southern Estonia describe the work of heating grains and legumes over a fire, drying them, and then roasting and grinding them. Kama mixed with water or fermented milk also served as a light meal to take along during summer farm work. It is said that a thick mixture was sometimes rolled into balls by hand and given to children and to people tending livestock.

Modern milling companies also present a version in which kama is mixed with yogurt or fresh cheese and layered in a glass with cherry jam. Kamavaht is one example of how this everyday flour is put to use in an airy dessert.

Glossary