Buttermilk is the liquid left over after producing butter from full-cream milk during the churning process. It has a slightly sour taste. It is quite popular as refreshment in Northern Europe and South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Punjabi and the Pashtoon belt in Pakistan and in India. Many breads are made with buttermilk, and it is also used in creamy soups and sauces.

Most of the modern, commercially available, "buttermilk" in supermarkets is

not genuine buttermilk, but rather cultured buttermilk, that is, milk to which lactic acid bacteria have been added to simulate the traditional product. The sour taste, or tartness of "cultured buttermilk" is a result of a fermentation process in which the bacteria turn lactose into lactic acid. As the pH drops in this reaction the milk becomes tart. At this point, casein, a milk protein, precipitates as it is no longer soluble under acidic conditions, causing what is called clabbering or curdling. The acidity of buttermilk inhibits bacterial growth, and this gives it a long refrigeration life. This process can be repeated when making sour cream with slight alterations.

Traditional buttermilk is quite different from cultured buttermilk: it is thin and slightly acid, while cultured buttermilk is thick and tart.

Note that it may be difficult to find buttermilk that is not low-fat in some areas, but it is possible to augment it with cream that has risen to the top of some varieties of store-bought whipping cream. Still, many people enjoy cultured buttermilk as part of a health-conscious diet, particularly in Germany. It is consumed daily by the majority of people in southern India.

In baking, regular milk can be substituted for buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar or 1 3/4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar per cup of regular milk. Allow the soured milk to stand for ten minutes before adding to recipes. This method can be used with soy milk or rice milk for vegan/vegetarian consumption.

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