Buttermilk is a
fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning
butter out of
cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most modern buttermilk in western countries is cultured separately. It is common in warm climates where unrefrigerated milk
sours quickly.
Buttermilk can be drunk straight, and it can also be used in cooking. In making
soda bread, the acid in buttermilk reacts with the raising agent,
sodium bicarbonate, to produce
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...
which acts as the
leavening agent. Buttermilk is also used in
marination
Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origin of the word alludes to the use of brine (''aqua marina'' or sea water) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavo ...
, especially of
chicken and
pork.
Traditional buttermilk
Originally, buttermilk referred to the liquid left over from
churning butter from cultured or fermented
cream. Traditionally, before the advent of homogenization, the milk was left to sit for a period of time to allow the cream and milk to separate. During this time, naturally occurring
lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as nat ...
-producing bacteria in the milk fermented it. This facilitates the butter churning process, since fat from cream with a lower
pH coalesces more readily than that of fresh cream. The acidic environment also helps prevent potentially harmful microorganisms from growing, increasing shelf life.
Traditional buttermilk is still common in many
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
ic,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
n,
Nepalese,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
i,
Finnish,
Polish, and
Dutch households, but rarely found in other Western countries. It is a common drink in many Indian and Nepalese homes, and often served with roasted maize.
In the Arab world, buttermilk is a common beverage to be sold ice cold with other dairy products. It is popular during
Ramadan, where it is consumed during
iftar
Iftar ( ar, translit=Iftar Ramadan, إفطار رمضان), also known as (from , , 'breakfast'), (), is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. They break their fast at the time of the call to prayer ...
and .
Cultured buttermilk
United States
Cultured buttermilk was first commercially introduced in the United States in the 1920s. Commercially available cultured buttermilk is milk that has been
pasteurized and
homogenized, and then
inoculated with a culture of ''
Lactococcus lactis'' or ''
Lactobacillus bulgaricus'' plus ''
Leuconostoc citrovorum'' to simulate the naturally occurring bacteria in the old-fashioned product.
The tartness of cultured buttermilk is primarily due to
lactic acid
Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as nat ...
produced by
lactic acid bacteria while
fermenting lactose, the primary sugar in milk. As the bacteria produce lactic acid, the
pH of the milk decreases and
casein, the primary milk protein,
precipitates, causing the
curdling or
clabbering of milk. This process makes buttermilk thicker than plain milk. While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk tends to be less
viscous
The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water.
Viscosity quantifies the in ...
than cultured buttermilk.
When introduced in America, cultured buttermilk was popular among immigrants, and was viewed as a food that could slow aging. It reached peak annual sales of 517,000,000 kg (1.14 billion lbs.) in 1960. Buttermilk's popularity has declined since then, despite an increasing population, and annual sales in 2012 reached less than half that number.
However, condensed buttermilk and dried buttermilk remain important in the
food industry. Liquid buttermilk is used primarily in the commercial preparation of
baked goods and
cheese. Buttermilk
solids are used in
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
manufacturing,
as well as being added to
pancake mixes to make
buttermilk pancakes.
Acidified buttermilk
''Acidified buttermilk'' is a substitute made by adding a food-grade acid such as vinegar or lemon juice to milk.
It can be produced by mixing 1 tablespoon () of acid with 1 cup () of milk and letting it sit until it curdles after about 10 minutes. Any level of fat content for the milk ingredient may be used, but whole milk is usually used for baking.
Nutrition
Commercially produced buttermilk is comparable to regular milk in terms of
food energy and fat. One cup (237 mL) of whole milk contains and 8.9 grams of fat. One cup of whole buttermilk contains and 8.1 grams of total fat. Low-fat buttermilk is also available.
Buttermilk contains vitamins, potassium, calcium, and traces of phosphorus.
See also
*
Butterfat, the fatty portion from which butter is made
*
List of dairy products
This is a list of dairy products. A dairy product is food produced from the milk of mammals. A production plant for the processing of milk is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, ente ...
*
Ranch dressing
Ranch dressing is an American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), and spices (commonly pepper, paprika and ground mustard seed) mixed into a sauce based ...
, a buttermilk-based salad dressing
*
Sarasson, a cheese spread made from buttermilk
*
Whey, the liquid left over after producing cheese
*
Creole cream cheese, traditional Louisiana cheese made from buttermilk
References
External links
Making cultured buttermilk
{{Authority control
Bulgarian drinks
Cuisine of Northern Ireland
Fermented dairy products
Dutch cuisine
Milk-based drinks
Ukrainian drinks