Buttermilk names two related liquids, and that is the messy truth. Originally it was the thin, slightly sour liquid left in the churn after the butter had been taken out — a farm word going back to Middle English butter-melke, simply butter + milk.

Buttermilk names two related liquidsbuttermilk指的是兩種相關的液體，and that is the messy truth這就是它有點複雜的地方。Originally it was the thin, slightly sour liquid left in the churn after the butter had been taken out最早它是攪奶油之後、攪乳桶裡剩下的那種稀稀、帶點酸味的液體——a farm word going back to Middle English butter-melke是個農場用語，可以追溯到中古英文的butter-melke，simply butter + milk字面上就是butter（奶油）加milk（牛奶）。

In shops and recipes today, especially for pancakes, soda bread, and fried chicken, buttermilk is usually milk that has been cultured so it tastes tangy and a little thick. Bakers want that acid: it helps cakes rise with bicarbonate of soda. It behaves like the old leftover, but most cartons are not, in fact, what remains after butter-making.

In shops and recipes today在現在的商店和食譜裡，especially for pancakes, soda bread, and fried chicken尤其是做鬆餅、蘇打麵包和炸雞的時候，buttermilk is usually milk that has been cultured so it tastes tangy and a little thickbuttermilk通常是發酵過的牛奶，喝起來帶酸味，也稍微濃稠一點。Bakers want that acid做烘焙的人要的就是那個酸：it helps cakes rise with bicarbonate of soda它可以幫助蛋糕跟小蘇打粉一起發起來。It behaves like the old leftover它的作用跟以前剩下的那種液體很像，but most cartons are not, in fact, what remains after butter-making但現在紙盒裝的大部分其實都不是做奶油剩下來的東西。

It is not milk with butter stirred in, and it is not sweet drinking milk. Cookbook English uses it without fuss; the old farm sense still turns up in older writing.

It is not milk with butter stirred in它不是牛奶裡攪進奶油，and it is not sweet drinking milk也不是甜甜的鮮奶。Cookbook English uses it without fuss食譜英文用起這個字很自然，不會多解釋；the old farm sense still turns up in older writing而舊的農場用法還是會在比較舊的文章裡出現。