Pasteurization ended natural sour cream production
Primarily used in European and North American cooking, sour cream is a topping for baked potatoes, a salad dressing base, a cookie, cake and scone ingredient or a dessert accompanied by fruit.
Natural Production
Originally, sour cream occurred naturally. Before refrigeration, natural bacteria in cream skimmed off fresh milk, soured at room temperature. To avoid waste, people found ways to use it in cooking. The introduction of milk pasteurization ended the natural production of sour cream as the process killed off the bacteria.
Pasteurization
Food scientists discovered that introducing lactic acid bacteria to pasteurized cream with 18 per cent milk fat produced a sour cream with a consistent flavor. The name "sour cream" comes from "souring," the name of the bacterial fermentation process.
Fun Fact
Sour cream is frequently thickened with gelatin, rennin or carrageen. The latter is a seaweed popular in Irish cuisine to make desserts and as a cure for respiratory ailments. Its use spread to North America with Irish immigrants fleeing the famine in the 19th century.
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