In the summer months, Indian households turn towards cool drinks to beat the heat. Some of them are traditional beverages that not only cool the body but also replace electrolytes lost in the harsh heat. One such beverage is buttermilk or chaas, which is served spicy or sweet with a medley of spices and herbs.
What is buttermilk or chaas?
Buttermilk, or chaas or matta as it’s known in Hindi, is the by-product of butter extraction from fermented dairy. Despite what the name suggests, buttermilk doesn’t contain any butter. Hence, it’s considered a lighter alternative to yoghurt and curd.
In Northern India, it’s served diluted with salt or sugar with a pinch of spices like cumin, rock salt and dried mint.
In South India, buttermilk is served plain or mixed with curry leaves and ginger as a drink called sambharam.
Apart from cooling the body down, buttermilk also improves digestion. It’s also lighter than yoghurt or plain milk since it has negligible fat content.
Buttermilk can also be used as an ingredient to speed up fermentation in idli, dosa and dhokla batter. It’s also the liquid base for many gram flour-based preparations like kadhi and khandwi.
In western countries, buttermilk is used in the preparation of biscuits, scones and pancakes. The lactic acid in the liquid brings an appetising tang to biscuits, bread, cakes and other baked products.
Buttermilk is sometimes substituted by adding vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar, sour cream or kefir to milk.
Also Read: Is ghee better than butter?
Buttermilk calories and nutrition
100 ml of buttermilk contains the following nutrients:
| Nutrients | Measure (Daily Value) |
| Calories | 40 |
| Total fat | 0.9 gm (1%) |
| Saturated fat | 0.5 gm (2%) |
| Cholesterol | 4 mg (1%) |
| Sodium | 105 mg (4%) |
| Potassium | 151 mg (4%) |
| Total carbohydrates | 4.8 gm (1%) |
| Dietary fibre | 0 g (0%) |
| Sugar | 4.8 gm |
| Protein | 3.3 gm |
| Vitamin C | 1% |
| Calcium | 11% |
| Iron | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0% |
| Cobalamin | 3% |
| Magnesium | 2% |
Health benefits of buttermilk or chaas
Buttermilk has been long considered a nutritious drink that can not only cool the body but also aid digestion.
It’s rich in calcium, protein and riboflavin, much like milk.
Buttermilk contains water-soluble components of milk like casein, whey proteins, lactose and milk fat globule membrane, which holds the fat.
The membrane is rich in proteins and phospholipids and could potentially prevent or ameliorate chronic diseases like cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Some health benefits of buttermilk are as follows:
- Cools the body down
- Easy to digest
- Probiotic
- Good for heart health
- Strengthens bones
- Reduces inflammation
- Could reduce cholesterol
- Can lower blood pressure
- May help in weight loss
- May reduce risk of cancer
- May reduce risk of diabetes
- Remedy for mouth ulcers
- Good for heart health: Buttermilk is a low-fat dairy product that has science-backed benefits for heart health. Some evidence suggests that buttermilk could reduce high blood pressure and reduce cholesterol. Buttermilk also contains calcium, which is beneficial for heart health.
- Could strengthen bones and teeth: Buttermilk is a calcium and phosphorus-rich beverage that can strengthen bones and teeth. If the buttermilk is made from fortified milk, it can also supply vitamin D, which is crucial for bone development and health.
- Good for stomach: Buttermilk is a fermented liquid rich in gut-loving lactobacillus, which promotes stomach health. It’s also easier to digest that milk due to its lactic acid content. The prebiotic liquid can also protect the stomach against ulcer and cancer-causing bacteria H.pylori.
References:
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3. Booth SL. Vitamin K: food composition and dietary intakes. Food Nutr Res. 2012;56. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v56i0.5505. Epub 2012 Apr 2. PMID: 22489217; PMCID: PMC3321250.
4. Lundgren-Kownacki, K., Dahl, M., Gao, C., Jakobsson, K., Linninge, C., Song, D., & Kuklane, K. (2018). Exploring how a traditional diluted yoghurt drink may mitigate heat strain during medium-intensity intermittent work: a multidisciplinary study of occupational heat strain. Industrial health, 56(2), 106–121.
5. Barukčić, I., Lisak Jakopović, K., & Božanić, R. (2019). Valorisation of Whey and Buttermilk for Production of Functional Beverages - An Overview of Current Possibilities. Food technology and biotechnology, 57(4), 448–460. https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.57.04.19.6460
6. US Department of Agriculture
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