Course | Beverage |
---|---|
Serving temperature | Chilled |
Main ingredients | Milk |
40 (100 grams) kcal | |
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 169 kJ (40 kcal) | ||||||||||
4.8 g | |||||||||||
0.9 g | |||||||||||
3.3 g | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [2] |
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. [3]
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 which acts as the leavening agent. Buttermilk is also used in marination, especially of chicken and pork.
Originally, buttermilk referred to the thin 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-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. [4]
Traditional buttermilk is still common in many Berber, Arab, Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, German, and Austrian 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. [5] In Arab and Berber cultures, buttermilk is commonly sold ice cold with other dairy products. It is popular during Ramadan, when it is consumed during iftar and suhur.
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. [5] The tartness of cultured buttermilk is primarily due to lactic acid 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, making cultured buttermilk thicker than plain milk. [6] While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk is thinner than cultured buttermilk. [5]
Cultured buttermilk was first commercially introduced in the United States in the 1920s. It was initially 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, and annual sales in 2012 reached less than half that number. [7] However, condensed buttermilk and dried buttermilk remain important in the food industry. [8] Liquid buttermilk is used primarily in the commercial preparation of baked goods and cheese. [9] Buttermilk solids are used in ice cream manufacturing, [10] as well as being added to pancake mixes to make buttermilk pancakes.
Acidified buttermilk is a substitute made by adding a food-grade acid, such as white vinegar or lemon juice, to milk. [11] It can be produced by mixing 1 tablespoon (0.5 US fluid ounces, 15 ml) of acid with 1 cup (8 US fluid ounces, 240 ml) 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.
Commercially produced buttermilk is comparable to regular milk in terms of food energy and fat. One cup (237 mL) of whole milk contains 660 kilojoules (157 kilocalories) and 8.9 grams of fat. One cup of whole buttermilk contains 640 kJ (152 kcal) and 8.1 grams of total fat. Low-fat buttermilk is also available. [12] Buttermilk contains vitamins, potassium, calcium, and traces of phosphorus. [13]
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators". In many countries, it is sold in several grades depending on the total butterfat content. It can be dried to a powder for shipment to distant markets, and contains high levels of saturated fat.
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as yogurt, cheese, milk and butter. A facility that produces dairy products is a dairy. Dairy products are consumed worldwide to varying degrees. Some people avoid some or all dairy products because of lactose intolerance, veganism, environmental concerns, other health reasons or beliefs.
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment, and used as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures.
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard cheese, like cheddar or Swiss cheese. Acid whey is a byproduct brought out during the making of acid types of dairy products, such as strained yogurt.
Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet, a culture, or any edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then allowing it to coagulate. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins (casein) to tangle into solid masses, or curds. Milk that has been left to sour will also naturally produce curds, and sour milk cheeses are produced this way.
Acid-set or sour milk cheese is cheese that has been curdled (coagulated) by natural souring, often from lactic acid bacteria, or by the addition of acid. This type of cheese is technologically simple to produce.
Crème fraîche is a dairy product, a soured cream containing 10–45% butterfat, with a pH of approximately 4.5. It is soured with a bacterial culture. European labeling regulations specify the two ingredients must be cream and bacterial culture. It is served over fruit and baked goods, as well as being added to soups and sauces. It is used in a variety of other recipes. Sour cream is a similar foodstuff, except that crème fraîche is less sour and has a higher fat content. Sour cream may contain thickening agents not permitted in crème fraîche in many jurisdictions.
Skyr is a traditional Icelandic cultured dairy product. It has the consistency of strained yogurt, but a milder flavor. Skyr can be classified as a fresh sour milk cheese, similar to curd cheese consumed like a yogurt in the Baltic states, the Low Countries and Germany. It has been a part of Icelandic cuisine for centuries.
Soured milk denotes a range of food products produced by the acidification of milk. Acidification, which gives the milk a tart taste, is achieved either through bacterial fermentation or through the addition of an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. The acid causes milk to coagulate and thicken, inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria and improving the product's shelf life. It is not good for making cheese.
Viili (Finnish) is a mesophilic fermented milk product found in the Nordic countries, particularly Finland. Viili is similar to yoghurt or kefir, but when left unmixed, its texture is malleable, or "long". The metabolism of the bacteria used in the fermentation also gives viili a slightly different taste.
Kashk, qurut, chortan, or aaruul and khuruud is a range of dairy products popular in Turkish cuisine and Central Asian cuisine. Kashk is made from strained yogurt, drained buttermilk or drained sour milk by shaping it and letting it dry. It can be made in a variety of forms, like rolled into balls, sliced into strips, and formed into chunks.
Clabber is a type of soured milk. It is produced by allowing unpasteurized milk to turn sour (ferment) at a specific humidity and temperature. Over time, the milk thickens or curdles into a yogurt-like consistency with a strong, sour flavor. In Joy of Cooking, "Clabber... is milk that has soured to the stage of a firm curd but not to a separation of the whey."
Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt. Like many types, strained yogurt is often made from milk enriched by boiling off some water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. In Europe and North America, it is often made from low-fat or fat-free cow's milk. In Iceland, a similar product named skyr is made.
Souring is a food preparation technique that causes a physical and chemical change in food by exposing it to an acid. This acid can be added explicitly, or can be produced within the food itself by a microbe, such as Lactobacillus.
Chhena or chhana is a kind of acid-set cheese originating in the Indian subcontinent that is made from water buffalo or cow milk by adding food acids such as lemon juice and calcium lactate instead of rennet and straining out the whey.
Qaraqurut is a highly acidic brittle dairy product, made by dehyrating sour whey. It appears eponymously black and is produced in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries. Lighter variants and variants made from other kinds of whey do exist. It is sometimes merely called qārā compare Azeri: قارا, black.
Quark or quarg is a type of fresh dairy product made from milk. The milk is soured, usually by adding lactic acid bacteria cultures, and strained once the desired curdling is achieved. It can be classified as fresh acid-set cheese. Traditional quark can be made without rennet, but in modern dairies small quantities of rennet are typically added. It is soft, white and unaged, and usually has no salt added.
Sour cream is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name comes from the production of lactic acid by bacterial fermentation, which is called souring. Crème fraîche is one type of sour cream with a high fat content and less sour taste.
Yayık ayranı, also known as Turkish buttermilk, is a traditional Turkish drink produced from fermented buttermaking by-products, water and salt. It has been traditionally prepared in barrel churns or skin bags. Despite the similar name, it is distinct from ayran. Goat, sheep, or cow's milk can be used for Turkish buttermilk production. Certain acid curd cheeses such as çökelek could also be obtained from yayık ayranı when heated.
This commercial product can be thought of as a gentler, thinner yogurt, with any buttery flavour likely added.