A by-product of the traditional ghee-making process, buttermilk is whitish in colour, thin and liquidy, has a funky aroma and an oddly complex flavour that is thick, buttery, acidic, and sour, with a tinge of sweet aftertaste. But when it comes to Indian summers, nothing quite compares to this velvety sour glass. Especially for the one that is spiced with ginger, fresh mint, black salt, and occasionally with a little amount of sugar, chopped or crushed chillies.
Such are the virtues of the churned drink that not only the Vedas but also contemporary health experts believe it to be the one weapon against all rigours of the heat. A glass of buttermilk consumed during the day helps to maintain a healthy pH level in the body, restores lost minerals and water from excessive sweating, improves digestive health, and combats most summertime illnesses, including lethargy. It should come as no surprise that buttermilk, also known as takra, was referred to in the Rigveda and Bhavaprakasha Samhita as Pathya Kalpana and Pathya Ahara, respectively. What is it about buttermilk that makes it such a lovely necessity throughout the world’s culinary community? While the majority of seasoned cooks would emphasise buttermilk’s titratable acidity as one of the key reasons that lend it the ability to tenderise and improve the taste of the food, bakers will hail its ability to work as this amazing (albeit slow) leavening agent as one of its great virtues that made the butter by-product a culinary sensation globally.
The tastemaker
According to chef Sabyasachi Gorai, “it was the combination of the two that made buttermilk a popular tastemaking ingredient in pastoral society across the world in ancient times.” But there was a difference, he believes, “in how buttermilk was employed. In contrast to the West, where the churned liquid was a necessity for creating bread, India, particularly in the hilly parts, found that it was more like a seasoned stock that was used as the cooking base for most recipes, particularly those that included meat.
Chha Gosht and Gustaba, two staple foods of India’s mountain areas, serve as evidence of this. However, the rest of India was also aware of buttermilk’s capacity to enliven and modify food, and it adopted a flexible format for flavouring before its creamier sibling curd took over. Chef Vikas Seth explains that buttermilk’s stability is what makes it special. Despite being a slow leavening agent, it performs better than its competitors in delivering a more healthy balance of flavour and spice assimilation. In terms of the variety of foods it can succeed on, it is a definable winner because it can endure heat better than curd.
As a matter of fact, Chef Seth adds, “it was one of the many reasons that buttermilk was and is still preferred to make kadhi rather than curd, be it the Himachali phati kadhi or the Punjabi besan kadhi; or, for that matter, any Gujarati snack including dhokla and khandvi.” Due to its combination of health benefits and adaptability, buttermilk has been extensively researched since 8500 BCE. At the time, milk and meat had become staples of our meals as civilisations all over the world began to resemble pastoral societies.
It’s gut-friendly
In spite of the fact that milk has become a common commodity, our bodies, especially those of adults, were not designed to digest milk. Butter and cheese eventually appeared as a solution, as did fermented beverages like Kumis and buttermilk, which were produced during the butter-churning process. These were the only methods available for digesting milk. Buttermilk was an even better option for sustenance because it had a longer shelf life than milk. In any case, the propensity of buttermilk to be gut-friendly served as the impetus for the research on buttermilk.
Takra got transformed into a sort of superfood that was known to treat a wide range of ailments, including those brought on by a vata mismatch and Agnisara Dhauti (heating of the stomach), a common condition during summer that can cause acidity, indigestion, and irritable bowel syndrome. There are numerous precise instructions in old medical textbooks like Charaka Samhita, and even the Vaidyakiya Subhashita Sahityam for making buttermilk which helps treat ailments with a certain level of efficiency. Every home has a recipe for spiced buttermilk that has played a significant role in helping us survive the heat.
This Vaid-designed variety, which is made of mattha buttermilk or ghol (one part curd and three parts water), uses a combination of rock salt, ginger, mint, khand or misri, and even chillies to calm the Agnisara Dhauti, and it became the model for many of the traditional local versions we still find today across the country with their own local twists. These include the Dahi Panna or Tanka Torani from Odisha.
In fact, buttermilk is a preferable choice for curd rice or dahi pakhala because it enhances the flavour of the food while infusing it with the benefits of fermentation. And a go-to in the nutritionist’s toolbox to calm an agitated digestive tract, particularly the liver. But are the stomach’s tranquillity and the puckering flavour, which can jolt the tongue from its exhausted slumber, sufficient justifications for one or two glasses each day? Although most dietitians would agree, here are some reasons why buttermilk is tasty: buttermilk, whether spiced or not, is a good source of riboflavin and vitamins A and B. Individually, each of these increases energy levels, balances the body’s amino acids, and functions as an eye tonic; plus boosts the body’s ability to digest food, especially the high sugar and proteins.
One for the polar lipids
Despite this, the British Medical Journal found that buttermilk also contains polar lipids that prevent the build-up of cholesterol and maintain the health of the core (heart). Additionally, improved skin and hair are guaranteed by pH balance. Even the fabled Queen Cleopatra would attest to this reality.
(The author is a seasoned food columnist and curator of experiential dining experiences, pop-ups, and retreats for chefs.)