Despite sharing a name, cultured low-fat buttermilk and traditional buttermilk are fundamentally different dairy products. What we find on most supermarket shelves today is the cultured version, a product created in a controlled process to mimic the flavor profile of its historical counterpart. The original regular buttermilk, a byproduct of butter making, is thin and rarely sold commercially. Knowing which type a recipe calls for is key to achieving the desired texture and taste.
The Evolution of Buttermilk: From Byproduct to Cultured Product
Traditional buttermilk is a natural result of the butter-making process. When cream is churned to make butter, the milk solids separate, leaving behind a thin, low-fat liquid. Historically, this cream was often left to sour naturally due to the presence of lactic acid-producing bacteria, which facilitated the churning process and added a tangy flavor. This is the "regular buttermilk" that our great-grandparents might have used.
The widespread use of pasteurization and refrigeration in the modern dairy industry led to the decline of this traditional product. To create a stable, consistent product for commercial sale, manufacturers developed cultured buttermilk. This process involves adding a starter culture of beneficial bacteria, such as Streptococcus lactis or Lactobacillus bulgaricus, to pasteurized milk, which is then left to ferment. The resulting lactic acid thickens the milk and gives it its signature tangy taste. Most commercial varieties, including cultured low-fat buttermilk, are made with low-fat or skim milk.
Key differences in production
- Traditional: A natural byproduct of churning butter from naturally-soured cream. It is thin and contains residual butterfat and natural enzymes.
- Cultured: A manufactured product created by adding bacterial cultures to pasteurized low-fat or skim milk. Stabilizers and other ingredients may be added for a consistent product.
Culinary Uses: Performance in the Kitchen
The differences in production and composition directly impact how each type of buttermilk behaves in recipes.
Cultured Low-Fat Buttermilk (Store-Bought)
- For baking: The acidity reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, creating leavening. This results in lighter, more tender baked goods like pancakes, biscuits, and soda bread.
- For marinades: The acid is an excellent tenderizer for meats like chicken and pork. It also imparts a tangy flavor.
- For dressings and sauces: Its thick, creamy texture makes it ideal for creamy dressings and soups.
Traditional Buttermilk (Rarely Found)
- For cooking: It is thinner than the cultured variety, which means it cannot be substituted directly in recipes that rely on cultured buttermilk's thick consistency.
- As a beverage: In many parts of the world, it is still enjoyed as a beverage, sometimes with added spices.
- In specific recipes: Older, vintage recipes may have been designed for the thin, traditional product, and modern cultured buttermilk might yield different results.
Comparison Table: Cultured Low-Fat vs. Regular (Traditional) Buttermilk
| Feature | Cultured Low-Fat Buttermilk | Regular (Traditional) Buttermilk |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Created commercially by adding bacterial cultures to milk. | Liquid byproduct of churning butter from cream. |
| Availability | Widely available in most grocery stores. | Very rare in Western countries; found mostly on small farms. |
| Texture | Thicker and more viscous due to controlled fermentation. | Thin and watery, similar to skim milk. |
| Flavor | Distinctly tangy, with a buttery flavor profile. | Subtly tangy or slightly sweet, depending on the cream's ripeness. |
| Acidity | Controlled and consistent due to added cultures. | Varies based on the natural fermentation process. |
| Use in Baking | Ideal for leavening with baking soda; used in most modern recipes. | Not suitable as a 1:1 substitute for cultured buttermilk in most modern recipes. |
| Probiotics | May contain active cultures, depending on the brand and processing. | Contains natural probiotics from fermentation, but is not shelf-stable. |
The Name Game and Fat Content
One of the main sources of confusion is the name. The term "buttermilk" is used broadly for products that are no longer the "milk from butter". When you see "low-fat buttermilk" or "nonfat buttermilk" at the store, it is almost certainly a cultured product made with low-fat or skim milk. Even if a product is labeled just "buttermilk," it's safe to assume it's the cultured version unless you have a specific reason to believe otherwise, like purchasing directly from a small, local dairy. Traditional buttermilk, being a byproduct, was naturally very low in fat as most of the fat had been separated into butter. Therefore, the low-fat aspect is a historical truth for both types, though the modern cultured version is created deliberately with low-fat milk.
Conclusion
In short, cultured low-fat buttermilk and regular buttermilk are not the same product. The former is a commercially produced, thicker, and tangier fermented milk, while the latter is a rare, thin byproduct of old-world butter making. For nearly all modern recipes, cultured low-fat buttermilk is the correct ingredient to use. Attempting to substitute one for the other, particularly a modern recipe with traditional buttermilk, would likely result in an undesirable texture due to the difference in viscosity. Understanding this distinction helps demystify the dairy aisle and ensures your baking and cooking turn out perfectly every time. If you're looking for traditional buttermilk, you'll likely need to seek out a specialty farm or produce it yourself by making butter at home.
Key Takeaways
- Distinction: Cultured low-fat buttermilk is a commercially manufactured, thickened dairy product, not the same as the rare, thin traditional buttermilk.
- Availability: The vast majority of buttermilk sold in stores is cultured low-fat buttermilk, which is created using a bacteria culture.
- Culinary Function: For modern baking recipes that call for buttermilk, the thicker, cultured version is the correct and intended ingredient.
- Texture and Flavor: Cultured buttermilk is thick and tangy, while traditional buttermilk is thin and has a subtler, sometimes sweeter flavor.
- Interchangeability: The two products cannot be used interchangeably in most recipes without affecting the final result.
- Origins: Traditional buttermilk was a byproduct of the butter-making process, a practice that has largely changed with modern food production methods.
- Fat Content: Both types are naturally low in fat, though for different reasons stemming from their production methods.
FAQs
question: Can I use cultured low-fat buttermilk and traditional buttermilk interchangeably in recipes? answer: No, you cannot. Their different viscosities and flavor profiles mean they will produce different results. Most modern recipes expect the thicker, cultured variety.
question: What is the difference in texture between cultured low-fat buttermilk and regular (traditional) buttermilk? answer: Cultured buttermilk is thick and creamy, similar to a thin yogurt, due to fermentation. Traditional buttermilk is much thinner and watery, like skim milk.
question: Is the buttermilk I find in a regular grocery store cultured or traditional? answer: The buttermilk sold in most commercial grocery stores today is almost always the cultured variety, made by adding lactic acid bacteria to low-fat or skim milk.
question: How is cultured buttermilk made? answer: Cultured buttermilk is made by adding a starter culture of lactic acid bacteria to pasteurized low-fat or skim milk, which is then fermented for several hours to thicken it and create its tangy flavor.
question: Why is traditional buttermilk so difficult to find? answer: With modern dairy practices and the widespread use of refrigeration, butter is often made from sweet cream, not naturally soured cream, eliminating the byproduct. The product is not produced on a large commercial scale.
question: Is there a flavor difference between the two types of buttermilk? answer: Yes. Cultured buttermilk has a more pronounced tangy, buttery flavor. Traditional buttermilk can have a more subtle, slightly sweeter taste, depending on the initial cream used.
question: What should I use if a vintage recipe simply says "buttermilk"? answer: If the recipe is from a time before the 1960s, it might have originally called for traditional buttermilk. However, for most home cooks today, using cultured buttermilk is the practical solution and will yield a good result.
