Kefir vs. Kombucha

Kefirnoun

A fermented milk drink from the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, similar to yogurt but more liquidy.

Kefirnoun

An effervescent liquor like kumiss, made from fermented milk, used as a food and as a medicine in the northern Caucasus.

Kefirnoun

A sour fermented milk drink, used in various regions of Asia, made by addition of Streptococcus or Lactobacillus cultures to cow's or goat's milk; it is considered by some as a form of yoghurt.

Kefir

Kefir (also spelled as kephir or kefier, Russian: Кефир; Karachay-Balkar: Гыпы) ( KE-feer), is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. The drink originated in the North Caucasus, in particular the Elbrus environs along the upper mountainous regions of Karachay and Balkaria from where it came to Russia, and from there it spread to Europe and the United States, where it is prepared by inoculating the milk of cows, goats, or sheep with kefir grains.

Kombuchanoun

A fermentation of sweetened tea of Mongolian origin.

Kombucha

Kombucha (also tea mushroom, tea fungus, or Manchurian mushroom when referring to the culture; Latin name Medusomyces gisevii) is a fermented, lightly effervescent, sweetened black or green tea drink commonly consumed for its purported health benefits. Sometimes the beverage is called kombucha tea to distinguish it from the culture of bacteria and yeast.