82 THE STORY OF MILK 



ripened and churned, the product will be identically 

 the same as natural buttermilk from ripened cream. 



Ripening.^ — For best result the milk should be pas- 

 teurized, not necessarily as thoroughly as for starters, 

 but sufficiently so as to destroy all obnoxious bacteria 

 and give those introduced through a pure culture 

 starter a chance to grow. Buttermilk may, however, 

 also be made from good, clean, unpasteurized milk of 

 good flavor. Whether pasteurized or not the milk is 

 set to ripen with from 5 to 10% starter at a temperature 

 of from 65 to 75°. The preparation of starters is de- 

 scribed under '^Bacteria" and the ripening of the milk 

 for ''buttermilk" is essentially the same process (see 

 also under Ripening of cream for butter). When rip- 

 ened to the desired acidity, — say .5% to .6% by the 

 acid test, — stop further fermentation by thorough 

 cooling. 



Breaking up the Curd. — After cooling, the ripened 

 milk may be broken up fine and if vigorously shaken 

 or ''churned '' it will remain smooth and creamy. Other- 

 wise it may separate into curd and whey. If churned 

 long enough for the butter to form, it becomes ab- 

 solutely identical with real buttermilk. But, for all 

 practical purposes, a vigorous shaking for a few minutes 

 is enough. 



Thick Milk.— "Thick Milk'' as eaten in Scan- 

 dinavia is made in the same way as commercial butter- 

 milk, except that the milk — rich whole milk — is set to 

 ripen in the bowl in which it is to be served. Instead 

 of being churned or stirred, it is left thick, to be served 

 as a pudding, like Junket made from sweet milk. The 

 rich layer of cream that forms on top is excellent. 

 " Thick Milk " is eaten plain with the oatmeal for 



