What Is the Difference Between Milk & Buttermilk?
Buttermilk was once made and sold from farms, both large and small. The farmer set aside the milk each day until there was enough to make butter. In the meantime, the milk began to ferment. When the butter was made, the liquid that was poured off was called buttermilk. Buttermilk is made differently now, but it is still different from regular milk.
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Ingredients
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Milk has no other basic ingredients besides the milk itself except when it is fortified with vitamins. Mark R. Vogel, a culinary expert and food columnist, writes that buttermilk is milk that has gained an acidic quality when the lactic acid bacteria is allowed to ferment. Cultured buttermilk, the kind found in most stores, is made when such bacteria is added to milk to begin the fermentation.
Consistency
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Milk is smooth. The article "Milk" from "Dairy Farming Today" explains that this is partly because of homogenization, which breaks up the fat particles. Old-fashioned buttermilk was traditionally made by pouring off the liquid after churning butter. Vogul explains that modern makers of cultured buttermilk add flecks of butter to simulate the texture of old-fashioned buttermilk.
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Nutrition Facts
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"Dairy Farming Today" describes the nutritional values of milk. The fat grams per 8 ounce serving of milk are 8 grams for whole milk, 5 grams for 2 percent milk, 2.5 grams for 1 percent milk, and 0 grams for skim milk. Milk is often fortified with vitamins, up to 2,000 IU of Vitamin A and up to 400 IU of Vitamin D. It also has about 300mg of calcium per serving. It also has protein, potassium, Vitamin B12, riboflavin and phosphorus. A milk serving varies from 90 calories for nonfat milk to 149 calories for whole milk. According to Nutrition Data, there are 5 grams of fat in lowfat buttermilk. It has many of the same nutrients as milk, but the buttermilk described on the label given only had 147 IU of Vitamin A and no Vitamin D. There are 137 calories in a serving of buttermilk.
Cooking Advantages
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Milk is a staple in cooking. It is put to good use in gravy and sauces, as well as many other cooked foods that require a liquid that is a little thicker than water. People who hunt often use ordinary milk to take the gamy taste out of wild game meat. On the other hand, the "New York Times" explains the cooking advantages of buttermilk in its article "Got Buttermilk?" It is a leavening agent in baking foods like buttermilk cakes or biscuits. It is good for tenderizing meats. It also adds a slightly acidic flavor to foods when it is used as an ingredient.
Health Benefits
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The calcium in milk is a hedge against such diseases as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and colon cancer. The B12 helps build red blood cells and the riboflavin helps in making energy available to the cells and is good for the skin and eyes. The potassium is good for fluid balance, and thus assists with lowering hypertension. Vogul says that buttermilk has the added benefit of being a probiotic. Probiotics may help with gastrointestinal difficulties, inhibit pathogens, and relieve the body of allergens.
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References
- Photo Credit much of cow milk image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
