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"Buttermilk" is a cottage-industry term that refers to the milky runoff formed when heavy cream is churned into butter. Hence the name -- it's the "milk" that comes from making butter. Hardy dairy-farmer types used to drink it as a beverage (and some folks still do), but these days it's usually just found in pancakes, biscuits, and desserts. While the name implies that buttermilk is high in fat, today's buttermilk is far less calorically intensive because it's made from skim milk. It's mostly water (90%), a sugar derived from dairy products called lactose (5%), some live culture, and a dollop of butter fat. It's considered a tad more palatable than "the real thing," and has a sweet/sour aftertaste derived from the lactose and a bacteria
called lactic acid. Buttermilk is also a cultured dairy product, which means it's formed by fermentation as well as temperature treatment. Buttermilk is first pasteurized (i.e., heated) at a high temperature to kill any potentially dangerous bacteria. Then, select healthy bacteria is introduced to help the fermentation process, during which lactose is converted to lactic acid, lending the finished product the sweet/sour flavor. How did we find this out? With the help of the all-knowing Encyclopedia Britannica. Check there for answers to all of your pasteurization and fermentation questions.
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