# Hindi/Urdu: Buttermilk



## lcfatima

My Hindi dictionary says that buttermilk is muTTha, but I keep hearing people say a couple of different words for the substance, neither of which is muTTHa, so I am not sure what it is supposed to be.Do you recognize these words as buttermilk: chaas, chaaNs, chaach, chaaNch, or something similar?


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## Cilquiestsuens

The only word I know for it would be Chhaachh...

By the way, what is Khoyaa in English ?????


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## Illuminatus

In Marathi, we say <taak> (dental t)

In Hindi, both maTTha (zabar on m) and chaach is used.

I guess <chaach> is the correct word, but words like Chaa.nch, Chaas, Chaa.ns are all pretty common.

I doubt whether Khoyaa (mawa) even exists in the West. The most they do is Condensed Milk. I think Khoya, which is essentially extremely condensed milk, is not used in the West. 

I may be wrong though.


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## BP.

I've heard of the proverb "_doodh ka jalaa *chhaa.nch* to ki phoo.nk phoo.nk keh peeta hay_". I'm guessing its alluding the leftover once you've extracted the fat or something. I don't even know what buttermilk is! Poor city slicker!

*k-hujri*  - *کھجری*  - is made by thickening curdled milk (or whatever you call it once you add a bit of acid or yeast into it) while *khoya* - *کھویا*- by thickening/(evaporating away the water) from unpreprocessed milk.


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## lcfatima

Which word should I say, then?

The best word for khoya would probably be milk fudge. I wouldn't say it is completely unknown to the West. Some Mexican candies are made in a similar way to the way khoya is made, for example. 

Ek baat hai BPsaab, agar aap dudh mei.n sirka ya nimbu ka ras Daal de.N phir voh khoya nahin rahega, chenna ya paneer ban jayega. For khoya you just boil and slow cook until you are left with only the milk solids.


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## Illuminatus

Depends on what people around you understand. I have often used one and then switched to another on seeing blank looks on the faces of my listeners.

I agree with Icfatima. doodh mei.n sirka/nimbu ras dalne ko _doodh ko phaadna _kehte hai.n jisse chhaina/paneer banta hai. Khoya/khawa/maawa banane ke liye doodh ko dheere dheere ubaala jaata hai.


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## Illuminatus

The doubt will be cleared if you answer this:

What do you use to make:

Gulaabjaamun
Rasgulla


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## Faylasoof

For <khoya (*کھویا* )>, my books on South Asian cuisine (in English) say <khoya> and then go on to explain what it is. 
For buttermilk I've heard either چھاچھ or مٹھا. We hardly ever use it. The closest thing to it was me drinking gallons of لسّی mostly in Lahore and London! Got addicted to it and need go to rehab clinic!
My Platts Dictionary gives چھاچھ and a few more words which I'm unfamiliar with. Here they are:

چهاچهہछाछ _ćhāćh_ [S. तक्रं], s.f. *Buttermilk*

گهولघोल _ghol_, s.m. *Buttermilk* (syn. _ćhāćh_).

مہيमही _mahī_ [S. मथिता], s.f. *Buttermilk*

مہيريमहेरी _maherī_ [_mahiʼ__ā_ = _mahī_, '*buttermilk*,' q.v.+Prk. इल्लिआ=S. इल+इका], s.f. = _maher_, q.v.

مہيو मह्यौ _mahyau_ [S. मथित + कः], s.m. (dialec.) *Buttermilk* (i.q. _mahī_, q.v.).

BTW, adding citrus juice etc. to milk gives you SOUR MILK. Platts has more on this too:

_phaṭā dūdh_, s.m. Turned or *sour**milk;* whey

*جامن जामन jāman* (i.q. _jāmnā_, q.v.), s.m. *Sour**milk* used to coagulate fresh milk, coagulator, a ferment, rennet (see _jamnā_, _jamānā_).

دوسي दोसी _dosī_ [S. द्रप्स्य+इका], s.m. Thick *sour**milk*.

دوغ _dogh_ [prob. f. Zend rt. _dug_ = S. दुह्; cf. S. दोघ], s.m. Churned *sour**milk*, butter-milk.

دهي दही _dahī_, corr. धई _dhaʼī_ [Prk. दहिअं; S. दधि+कं], s.m. Thick *sour**milk*, coagulated milk 

It seems the Persian *dogh* (pornounced *doogh*) is being equated to either churned sour milk or buttermilk.


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## arsham

duugh is Persian and is attested in Draxt i asurig as duugh, in the Persian dictionaries I also found aab-duugh for buttermilk.

There's also duus in Persian (Middle Persian dos with long o) meaning gum!


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## Illuminatus

Nice list, Fayla.

Chaach I already mentioned. The only place I have heard _Mahi _is in Mythological TV Shows.

Jaaman is also quite common, but is more of a North Indian concept, I think.


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## BP.

Illumin and Icf, I had the two terms the wrong way. I've edited them now.


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## panjabigator

In my house, we say <lasī>.  Never heard <çā.nç> till today.


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## Illuminatus

Lassi is not exactly Chaach.
Lassi is a sweet/salty drink made by whipping Curd.


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## lcfatima

Chhaa.nch is the liquid that comes out of cream when you churn the cream to make butter, the milk of the butter. It can also be slightly soured. It is very healthy and nearly fat free, as the fat is the butter!

Some people drink it in a similar way to lassi, mixed with methi or other seasonings. My neighbors feed it to their baby. I have usually had it with Gujarati thalis and stuff like that. It is also used sometimes in Western baking recipes.


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## panjabigator

Illuminatus said:


> Lassi is not exactly Chaach.
> Lassi is a sweet/salty drink made by whipping Curd.



Hmm, well this is the word we use in my house.  Perhaps it's different in Panjabi?

When my parents go to the store to buy buttermilk, they've always called it lassi and nothing but.


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## lcfatima

I asked someone and was told in Punjabi buttermilk is called cchaah. It seems Urduphone Punjabis say cchaaNch though.


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## panjabigator

lcfatima said:


> I asked someone and was told in Punjabi buttermilk is called cchaah. It seems Urduphone Punjabis say cchaaNch though.



Which is the one used to make kaḍhī?


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## lcfatima

Pakoray waali KaDhi can be made with yoghurt or buttermilk. I have heard that in villages people regularly make a buttermilk version. Not all kaDhi even contains dairy, though, like Sindhi kaDhi.


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## panjabigator

lcfatima said:


> Pakoray waali KaDhi can be made with yoghurt or buttermilk. I have heard that in villages people regularly make a buttermilk version. Not all kaDhi even contains dairy, though, like Sindhi kaDhi.



So would you call buttermilk here lassī?  I'll have to get a recipe for this Sindhi karhī recipe...


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## lcfatima

No, it is called chhaaNchh. Lassi is only lassi.


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## akak

To add to the confusion, in my family, for some reason what is generally known as lassi (the yogurt drink) is called maTTha. 
We use either yogurt or buttermilk for kadhi. Hyderabadi kadhi is also dairy free.


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## panjabigator

What is a मट्खी/مٹكھی?  Are these related?  Aren't they some sort of vessel?


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## akak

Do you mean مٹكی? -- as in a small earthen pot? It could have something to do with the process of churning. 
I always think of maTTha sounding as if it has something to do with "*manthan*"


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## panjabigator

lcfatima said:


> I asked someone and was told in Punjabi buttermilk is called cchaah. It seems Urduphone Punjabis say cchaaNch though.



Going back to this topic.  I asked one of my Pakistani friends about this word and they had never heard of it (Urdu).  Can any Panjabiphone confirm its spelling/use in Panjabi?


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## Pakicookinglearner

In Pakistani Punjab, Muttha is also called Lassi by some. The actual meaning of these two terms is:
Muttha is the buttermilk that is a byproduct of the butter making process, whereas Lassi is prepared from Yoghurt (Dahi) by blending it with water or milk & flavouring it with sugar or salt.

Khoya is called "Clotted Milk" in English.


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## Pakicookinglearner

Chaach or its different versions are not from Punjabi but rather very colloquial Urdu, spoken by Urdu speaking migrants from UP, in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities in Pakistan.


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## Hindi

buttermilk : छाछ, मट्ठा, लस्सी
दही को बिलो कर(churn) मक्खन(butter) निकाले बिना जो तरल प्राप्त होता है उसे भी लस्सी कहते हैं !


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## Qureshpor

Cilquiestsuens said:


> The only word I know for it would be Chhaachh...
> 
> By the way, what is Khoyaa in English ?????





This reminds me of a well knwn Kabir dohaa.

rangii ko naa-rangii kahe, bane duudh ko khoyaa
 chaltii ko gaaRii kahe dekh Kabiiraa royaa


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## rahulbemba

lcfatima said:


> My Hindi dictionary says that buttermilk is  muTTha, but I keep hearing people say a couple of different words for  the substance, neither of which is muTTHa, so I am not sure what it is  supposed to be.Do you recognize these words as buttermilk: chaas,  chaaNs, chaach, chaaNch, or something similar?



Maththa मठ्ठा is also a word for the same. As well, there is "chhaachh"  छाछ which is also spoken as "chaas"  चास by many. So while none are  wrong, most used is "chhachh" छाछ, in my opinion.


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