Definition

1. Noun:
   • The liquid remaining after churning butter from cream: This is the traditional definition, referring to the slightly sour, tangy liquid left over after butter is made from cultured or fermented cream.
   • A cultured dairy drink: In modern commercial production, "buttermilk" often refers to a fermented beverage made by adding bacterial cultures to pasteurized milk, giving it a thick texture and characteristic tangy flavor.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The recipe calls for one cup of buttermilk to make the pancakes extra fluffy.
  • She drank a glass of cold buttermilk on a hot day.
  • Traditional buttermilk was a byproduct of butter-making on the farm.

Advanced Usage

• "Cultured buttermilk": The common commercial product, specifically fermented with lactic acid bacteria.
  • Most buttermilk sold in supermarkets is cultured buttermilk.
• "Traditional buttermilk" or "old-fashioned buttermilk": Refers specifically to the liquid byproduct from churning butter.
  • The taste of traditional buttermilk is different from the cultured version.

Variants and Related Words

• Buttermilk powder (n): Dehydrated buttermilk, often used in baking.
  • You can reconstitute buttermilk powder with water.
• Buttermilk dressing (n): A salad dressing made with buttermilk as a base.
  • The buttermilk dressing for the coleslaw was delicious.

Synonyms

• Sour milk: While similar, "sour milk" is milk that has soured naturally, whereas buttermilk is typically cultured.
• Fermented milk drink: A broader category that includes buttermilk, kefir, and yogurt drinks.

Related Phrases

• "Buttermilk biscuit": A type of soft, flaky biscuit leavened with baking soda and buttermilk.
  • We had buttermilk biscuits with gravy for breakfast.
• "Buttermilk fried chicken": Chicken marinated or dipped in buttermilk before being fried.
  • The secret to her crispy fried chicken is soaking it in buttermilk.

Noun

1. residue from making butter from sour raw milk; or pasteurized milk curdled by adding a culture