History of Dairy Products: Sour Cream

About the dairy product sour cream, how it is made and produced, the fermentation process described.

SOUR CREAM

Real sour or cultured cream is the result of natural lactic acid fermentation. Sometimes rennet is added to create a thicker body. Sour cream has fewer calories than mayonnaise and is used in the same way. Sometimes cream is soured by chemicals and thickened with gums; then it is not a fermented product, but the packaging does not always state this clearly.