How to work with Mashka
They pour yogurt and water in the Mashka and two women begin to move it forward and backwards. They sing songs for Mashka and they believe that the more you sing for it, the more butter it will make. Sometimes they bring water from several different springs and they believe: "some spring's water results in more butter". Sometimes they pour water that was left from the night before. Mashka will be filled with water three times. They remove the contents of Mashka when the butter is formed, i.e., they pour the content into a large dish and separate the butter from the doogh. They do not drink fresh doogh.
They add basil, dill, and Pistacia atlantica to the doogh and they leave it rest for three days so that it will taste sour.
Yogurt juice/ First water
The first amount of water that is added to Mashka at the beginning.
Little water/ Wirtka water
The amount of water added to Mashka during the movements step, in the middle of the process. Wirtka water is derived from the stage of butter making when little pieces of butter begin to form in Mashka due to the movements.
Wirda Water
The water added to Mashka when little pieces of butter appear.
Oily water
The water added to Mashka after it becomes oily due to the butter formed in it. It is added to Mashka in the middle of the process.
The last water
The last amount of water added to Mashka.
Soft water
Mild water which is neither hot nor cold. If they work with Mashka in cold weather, they have to use mild water.
Harsh water
1. A kind of water that makes people's skin dry and injured.
2. Cold water which is not suitable for Mashka.
Foam and Oil
The foam mixed with oil that appears at the beginning of the process of working with Mashka.
To be filled with foam and oil: It means that foam and oil have appeared in the Mashka which is a sign that butter is about to be made.
Huge foam and oil
When large sized foam and oil pieces appear, it means that the process is about to be finished. After this step, the butter will appear in very little pieces.
Wrinkled foam
A kind of delicate foam in Mashka which appears before the foam and oil step.
Oily foam
A kind of foam that is oily and greasy.
A piece of the song women sing for Mashka:
"Mahska is cow's Mashka/ the Lolaps are made of date tree
My summer house is in Gurmousa/ My Beri is Sham and Zara"
*Lolap: the logs screwed into the ground to keep Mashka hanged.
* Beri: the girls that milk the livestock.
*Sham and Zara: Kurdish girls' names
*Gurmousa: the name of a region
"Mashka moves Naderi/ I seek help from Sheikh Qderi
Chigh on the tent/ Kaban collects butter
Oh God! Let our livestock live/ Kaban will not carry Zambe"
*Chigh: A kind of partition kept inside or around the tents.
*Kaban: a hardworking housewife
"Mahska moves in the morning/ Ibrahim is my guest
We will respect him and his companions
We will make eggs for his lunch/ and lamb for his dinner"
