A distinctive subfamily among the cream cultures are the “ropy” milks of Scandinavia, so-called because they’re more than stringy: lift a spoonful of Finnish viili, Swedish långfil, or Norwegian tättemjölk,and the rest of the bowl follows it into the air. Some ropy milks are so cohesive that they’re cut with a knife. This consistency is created by particular strains of cream culture bacteria that produce long strands of starch-like carbohydrate. The stretchy carbohydrate absorbs water and sticks to casein particles, so manufacturers are using ropy strains of Streptococcus salivarius as natural stabilizers of yogurt and other cultured products.