Yesterday, we went shopping for buttermilk for a cake recipe and found two choices: low-fat or Bulgarian. Bulgarian?
We tend to shy away from low-fat ingredients when baking, so we bought the Bulgarian. But then we remembered that buttermilk is, in its natural state, low-fat. (It's the thin liquid left over after you churn butter from cream.) Maybe the Bulgarian is a manufactured "whole milk" version? Had we made a huge mistake?
As Emma has explained before, commercially-made buttermilk is created by adding bacteria cultures to milk, then heating the mixture to give it that tart, slightly fermented taste. The California Milk Advisory Board had a helpful explanation on what makes Bulgarian buttermilk different:
Bulgarian buttermilk is a version of cultured buttermilk in which the cream cultures are supplemented or replaced by yogurt cultures and fermented at higher temperatures for higher acidity. It can be more tart and thicker than cultured buttermilk.
• Visit the California Milk Advisory Board.
We haven't made our cake yet, but we're thinking Bulgarian buttermilk will make a richer final product, given its thicker consistency. We'll see if the increased tartness is noticeable. We think it would be great in this Blackberry Buttermilk Ice Cream.
We're still stumped on why it's called Bulgarian. Anyone have any more information?
Related: Good Tip: Freezing Leftover Buttermilk
(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)
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Perhaps it is cultured with Lactobacillus bulgaricus. That is a yogurt culture that, years ago, a researcher credited with the long lifespans of Bulgarians.
Interesting - I'll look forward to hearing how your cake turns out.
I noticed a proliferation of Icelandic Style Skyr yogurts lately and I have no idea what that's all about. Do you know what makes Icelandic yogurt unique?
Eastern Europeans drink buttermilk as we North Americans drink milk. Their version is full fat (as the product is here) and is reminiscent of a really runny yogurt.
Dana -
I tried one of the Skyr brands I found at Whole Foods, though I am sadly blanking on the name of the brand (siggi's maybe?) It had a very thick consistency, and had a very strong 'yogurt tang,' with almost no sweetness to it at all. I ate it with granola, which wasn't unpleasant, but not my thing. If I got it again, I might try it with fruit. I think that would be better.
Sounds like kefir. Is this the same thing?
Bulgarians invented yogurt and the Turks took credit for it.
Hmm. I thought maybe it would be the same as Amasi but it's not. I'm still trying to figure out what I can use Amasi for in cooking (other than Kitchari)....
To turn the milk into yogurt you need to ferment it with certain bacteria, like lactobacillus bulgaricus, streptococcus, thermophilus, etc
According to history the first fermented milk, aka yogurt is seen in Bulgaria, that's why one of the bacterias is called Bulgaricus. Meaning the original yogurt is bulgarian,also the greek yogurt is actually strained bulgarian yogurt (Bulgaria and Greece are neighbours).
I lived in Bulgaria for a while after college. Their yogurt is so much better than what we have in the states! And they have so many different kinds. If that is legit Bulgarian yogurt it was a good find.