Drinking Buttermilk Straight Isn't As Strange As It Sounds

Buttermilk is typically considered an ingredient — in a simple buttermilk biscuit recipe, as the tang in homemade cornbread (or as a way to improve boxed mix) for example, or as part of the batter in a maple buttermilk fried chicken dish — but have you ever considered drinking it straight-up? Though the practice used to be quite common (particularly in the South where it's often combined with crumbled cornbread), it has since fallen way out of fashion, with some people viewing the drinking of this creamy by-product of butter-making as akin to enjoying hákarl on the regular (the worst food Anthony Bourdain ever ate, by the way). But buttermilk is actually good for you and including some in your diet, even every day, can be beneficial.

It's a little misleading because of the word "butter" in its name, but when churning the creamy yellow spread, all the fat goes into the butter. The milk that's left behind, which is what traditional buttermilk is, is actually low-fat. And it's chock full of probiotics, thanks to the bacteria from fermentation; these can help regulate digestion and prevent gastrointestinal distress. Not only is it also high in protein (as much as nine grams per cup!), it's full of bone-healthy calcium, as well as its helper vitamin D, too.

Maybe you're used to buttermilk being used to make mashed potatoes or salad dressing creamier (and tangier). Let's reframe buttermilk in your mind, and try to throw out all your preconceived notions of the stuff. It's a tangy, creamy liquid that is full of probiotics — does that remind you of anything else on grocery store shelves? How about kefir, a funky fermented food to know? The two are remarkably similar, and can even be swapped out for each other in all kinds of baked goods. No one bats an eyelash at drinking a glass of kefir, so why shouldn't buttermilk elicit the same (non-)response?

Buttermilk, aside from its signature tang, is also a blank slate in terms of "dressing it up" with different flavors. You could make it savory by just adding in a little salt and pepper, or you could toss in some fresh herbs and spices, the way Indians drink masala chaas with ginger, green chilis, and cilantro. Sweeten it with honey and add sliced fruit. You don't have to drink it straight, either; you can also derive the same nutritional benefits by blending it into your daily smoothies, too.