Butter, sour cream, milk - all dairy

[Larry1]

A few years ago I dated a Belarusian girl who had lived for a time in the US. She did not like the butter here. I told her that we can get the higher butterfat European style butters here but they might not be available at every grocery store.  I regularly see Lurpak, Plugra, and Kerry Gold butters here.  I usually buy Land o' Lakes though.

The last time that Cook's Illustrated rated butters they preferred Plugra and Land o' Lakes unsalted butter.

http://bakingbites.com/2011/10/cooks-illustrated-picks-the-best-butter

One thing I've learned about butter: it all tastes better than margarine. When I was a kid my parents bought only margarine.  When I went to my grandparents' house they had butter. What a difference. When I began buying my own groceries I stuck to butter.

We were talking about butter in the chatroom earlier and it reminded me of my conversation with that Belarusian ex-girlfriend and I thought I would post this thread.

Do you think the butter to be found in the West is different than the butter to be found in FSU?

Now to sour cream/smetana. A few days ago Mendy suggested that a guy buy some Mexican style sour cream when his wife/girlfriend arrived in the US because it would be more like the smetana that she was used to in FSU.  I've found this to be true. It's called crema. It's a bit thinner in texture and slightly more tangy than our sour cream. You can generally find it in the international foods section of your grocery store under the Cacique brand.

Now to Greek-style yogurt, which is the only yogurt I eat these days. I first had it when I was in my late teens, in a health food store.  But it was called Bulgarian yogurt. I loved its thick texture and tangy taste from the first time I tried it. It has been one of the top five most memorable flavors in my life. It went well with strawberries. I don't think I've ever had yogurt while in FSU.

[jone]

What were the other four?

[Slumba]

I have had both butter and kefir while in FSU, along with milk.

First: the chocolate milk in FSU is horrendously bad, no use buying it at all.

The butter was only average quality, though I admit I bought only the regular stuff.  The more expensive stuff, while I was there, seemed to imported from France - I wonder if it is truly gone from the shelves as it was supposed to?

The kefir, unflavored, was slightly more "milky" in texture than the Lifeway stuff I have had in the USA.  I think this is due to different processing, and possibly the addition of carrageenan to the US product (which changes the mouthfeel).

Smetana I found similar to sour cream in the USA, but maybe I wasn't paying attention too much - after all, I dumped it in the borsch!   

[Larry1]

What were the other four?

In the order that I first tasted them:

Blue cheese dressing, Crab bisque, Manchego cheese, and one that some people here would no doubt prefer that I not mention (but it was in FSU).

[Faux Pas]

I don't eat yogurt or sour cream (except on baked potato only) to declare there is any difference but I can attest to the difference in butter in the U.S and Russia. It's much tastier in Russia and Europe as a whole. I noticed the difference on my first trip to Russia.

I too grew up on margarine and sparingly at that. Butter was something I never really tasted or enjoyed until I was an adult. I liked and bought butter as an adult but never paid much attention to it until I had some in Russia and thought it was the best thing ever. I have since become a "butter queer". I am very particular about my butter as a result and we have yet to find any American butter outside of homemade that comes close. Often we do settle for the Kerry Gold and occasionally find some locally produced Roll butter that gets us by.

[ML]

We aren't crazy about butter or sour cream.

But Ochka uses Kefir and 4% milk to make a knock-out soft white cheese.

We put it on blini and many other things for desserts.

Most all of our guests who try it, want the recipe. 
But in typical Ukrainian fashion, Ochka has difficult time in writing down a recipe . . . because she just 'wings it' each time.

[Lidiya]

You can easily make a good butter yourself all what you need is blender and sour cream (smetana) or cream ( slivki)

[Larry1]

You can easily make a good butter yourself all what you need is blender and sour cream (smetana) or cream ( slivki)

Welcome to the forum Lidiya.  And now I know another Russian word: slivki.

[2tallbill]

You can easily make a good butter yourself all what you need is blender and sour cream (smetana) or cream ( slivki)

Welcome to the forum!

[Lidiya]

Thank you! 

[alex330]

Do you think the butter to be found in the West is different than the butter to be found in FSU?

We homogenize the dairy here in the US which creates a different taste I am told. Many countries do not even pasteurize certain dairy products.

In our home we do not usually use with butter for health reasons, but have a pack of unsalted Land o Lakes in the fridge for the rare occasion where it is essential. Kefir and sour cream are staples in our fridge.

[2tallbill]

I can say that the Russian sour cream is more flavorful and a bit thinner
than American sour cream. Angel Eyes and Smiley Girl both love a variety
of milk products especially yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese. I usually
buy Land of the Lakes which is the tastiest that I can find here in Norf Dekody.

When I lived in California, I could go to a Russian market and find pretty
much anything, but they don't even have salsa here.