The traditional dairy product from the ancient Japan, So

Today we often drink milk or eat dairy products such as cheese or butter.
But for ordinary people, the custom of eating dairy products is quite new.
We only started to eating them since Meiji period under the influence of the western culture.
However if we focus on noblemen, they had eaten some dairy products at the Asuka period already.

"So" was one of the traditional dairy products which eaten in the ancient Japan.
So was made of milk.
How to make So is to boil milk gently in a pan for many hours with stirring it frequently.
Then eventually, a solid substance remains on the pan.
It is So.
Despite no seasoning, So has nice milky aroma and slightly sweet taste.

At between the Asuka to Heian period, So was paid to Emperors and high ranked noblemen from dairy farmers as a tax.
Milk and dairy products were precious at that times, and the noblemen treated So as an effective medicine for their health.
Ordinary people couldn't enjoy such precious dairy products in those times.

In contrast, we can drink milk and eat dairy products now.
Moreover, we can try So, too.
Nowadays some dairy farmers in Nara prefecture make So and sell it.
We can buy it at their shops in Nara or at an online shopping site managed by one of them.

If you have a spare time, how about making So by yourself?
It takes an awfully long time to make it, but probably it is worth to try.
When you will make it, please notice me how it's taste was like.