Buttermilk#Powdered buttermilk

{{Infobox food

| name = Buttermilk

| image = Buttermilk-(right)-and-Milk-(left).jpg

| caption = Milk (left) compared to buttermilk (right). Buttermilk is thicker and leaves a more visible residue on the glass.

| alternate_name =

| country =

| national_cuisine =

| creator =

| course = Beverage

| served = Chilled

| main_ingredient = Milk

| variations =

| calories = 40

| serving_size = 100 gram

| other =

}}

{{nutritionalvalue | name=Buttermilk | kJ=169 | protein=3.3 g | fat=0.9 g | carbs=4.8 g | calcium_mg=116 |float=right}}

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.{{cite news |title=Got Buttermilk? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/magazine/26food-t-000.html |first=Christine |last=Muhlke |newspaper=New York Times |date=April 22, 2009 }}

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.

Traditional buttermilk

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.{{cite web |last= Douma (Ed.) |first= Michael |title= Ripening to Ferment Milk Sugars to Lactic Acid |publisher= Webexhibits |date= June 14, 2007 |url= http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/culturing.html |access-date= 2008-12-31 }}

Traditional buttermilk is still common in many Arab, Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, German, Danish, 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. In Arab culture, buttermilk is commonly sold ice cold with other dairy products. It is popular during Ramadan, when it is consumed during iftar and suhur.

Cultured buttermilk

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 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.{{cite web | title=Buttermilk | website=BBC Good Food| url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/buttermilk-glossary | access-date=16 March 2024|quote=This commercial product can be thought of as a gentler, thinner yogurt, with any buttery flavour likely added.}} While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk is thinner than cultured buttermilk.{{cite web|last = Fankhause|first = David B.|title = Making Buttermilk|publisher = University of Cincinnati Clermont College|date = June 14, 2007|url = http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/BUTTERMILK.HTM|access-date = August 21, 2007|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070828061724/http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/BUTTERMILK.HTM|archive-date = August 28, 2007}}

= United States =

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/05/history_of_buttermilk_what_s_the_difference_between_cultured_buttermilk_and_traditional_buttermilk_.html |title=All Churned Around: How buttermilk lost its butter. |last=Anderson |first=L.V. |date=2012 |website=Slate |access-date=March 3, 2017 }}

However, condensed buttermilk and dried buttermilk remain important in the food industry.{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | author-link = Otto Frederick Hunziker | title = Utilization of Buttermilk in the form of Condensed and Dried Buttermilk | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–12 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date= January 1, 1923 | url =http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0022-0302/PIIS0022030223940579.pdf | access-date = 2010-10-26 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(23)94057-9 | doi-access = free }} Liquid buttermilk is used primarily in the commercial preparation of baked goods and cheese.{{cite journal | url = https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(06)72115-4/pdf | format = PDF | title = Compositional and Functional Properties of Buttermilk: A Comparison Between Sweet, Sour, and Whey Buttermilk | first1 = I. | last1 = Sodini | first2 = P. | last2 = Morin | first3 = A. | last3 = Olabi | first4 = R. | last4 = Jiménez-Flores | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | date = February 2006 | volume = 89 | issue = 2 | pages = 525–536 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | access-date = March 16, 2019 | doi=10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(06)72115-4| pmid = 16428621 | doi-access = free }} Buttermilk solids are used in ice cream manufacturing,{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3802/is_v431/ai_11910994 |title=Dry buttermilk and nonfat dry milk price relationship |access-date=2008-06-28 |date=August 1991 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Agriculture – Economic Research Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204111903/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3802/is_v431/ai_11910994 |archive-date=2008-12-04}} 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 white vinegar or lemon juice, to milk.{{cite web

| url = http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2010/aprqtr/pdf/21cfr131.3.pdf

| title = Title 21 – Food and Drugs: Chapter I, Part 131 Milk and Cream

| access-date = 2010-10-26

| date = April 1, 2007

| publisher = Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR)

}} It can be produced by mixing {{tbspUS|1}} of acid with {{cups|1|US}} 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 {{convert|157|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} and 8.9 grams of fat. One cup of whole buttermilk contains {{convert|152|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}} and 8.1 grams of total fat. Low-fat buttermilk is also available.{{cite web|last=Filippone|first=Peggy Trowbridge|title=Buttermilk health benefits|url=http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/buttermilkhelth.htm|access-date=October 13, 2013|archive-date=July 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160726011732/http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/buttermilkhelth.htm|url-status=dead}} Buttermilk contains vitamins, potassium, calcium, and traces of phosphorus.{{cite news| last=Aparna| first=Karthikeyan| title=Buttermilk, the best bet |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/buttermilk-the-best-bet/article3415184.ece|access-date=October 13, 2013|date=May 13, 2012| location=Chennai, India| work=The Hindu}}