Jump to content
Chinese-Forums
  • Sign Up

Buttermilk


dermur

Recommended Posts

Is it possible to get buttermilk in China...Dalian in particular?

I'm going to be living there for a couple of years and as much as I love the food in Dalian I think I'm going to miss good old brown soda bread from home.

I figure if I can buy buttermilk in Dalian, I'll be able to bring my own supply of wholemeal flour and make the stuff myself!

Unless it's possible to get wholemeal flour too in which case I won't need to bring anything!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting point! I can't say I've ever heard of buttermilk powder - it's certainly a good option in the event that the real thing is unavailable.

I suppose if you can buy milk powder you should also be able to buy buttermilk powder... :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About buttermilk powder

You'll also find buttermilk powder in your grocery store.

Basically dehydrated buttermilk, it has an admirable shelf life, almost indefinitely on the shelf unopened and up to a year and even longer after opening when stored in the refrigerator. Buttermilk powder is generally used for baking rather than drinking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's 百脱牛奶 in Chinese if that helps. I had a quick search online and couldn't see any useful references to it, and it's not even available on Taobao, so I'm not sure it would be that easy to find. I would have thought wholemeal flour would be fairly easy to find, but then my role in the food industry is generally restricted to the consumption end . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have thought wholemeal flour would be fairly easy to find

Not that easy, still, easier then rye flour. When I said "buy in bulk" I meant of course overseas.

There are other ways to get your bread sour though. You could try yogurt, or just create your own sourdough. There is also instant sourdough in specialty shops overseas.

Just leaving the dough for a few hours also gets it sour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all your help & suggestions, folks.

I was checking over here too - adding "bextartar" or "cream of tartar" to ordinary milk seems to be an acceptable alternative to buttermilk also.

So, it looks as though I'll soon be carrying lots of funny white powder through the airports - I hope the customs guys have a sense of humour!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, it looks as though I'll soon be carrying lots of funny white powder through the airports

I would put it only in the check-in baggage and leave it in its original packing. There it will go through normal scanners (that won't react to buttermilk powder). At a carry-on luggage check it may look "funny" if found. They will easily know it's not heroin or cocaine from the smell, but there are are plenty of other substances (or explosives) it could be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes - l'll definitely leave anything like that sealed in it's original packing and well away from my hand-luggage!

I remember my hand luggage being stopped and searched last time I flew through Italy. The x-ray machine picked up some traces of sugar or flour that dropped on to my luggage from I cake I'd been eating earlier. Invisible to the naked eye but enough to raise the suspicions of the security guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I heard that City Shop (Beijing and Shanghai) will start carrying FRESH buttermilk.

For baking and recipes, Sour Cream can work. The unsweetened yogurt which is drinkable also works well. As a PP stated, Lemon Juice (or plain White Vinegar) in regular milk, let to stand 5 min. or so will curdle up and work well in recipes, though it probably is no substitute for fresh buttermilk for drinking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Click here to reply. Select text to quote.

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...