I discovered lait ribot within a hour of landing at the port in St. Malo. We were looking for some food and water to tide us over until we could get to our destination and there it was in the cooler of a convenience store… I saw it again when we went to a grocery store to stock up on supplies… this time there was several brands of lait ribot. Curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up buying two different brands.
What is lait ribot?
Lait ribot is a French-style buttermilk. Like buttermilk, it used to be the waste product from making butter. Brittany is famous for making butter, so buttermilk became a popular drink because it was cheap and healthy, probiotic and protein rich drink.
This delicious beverage is still very popular, and in some grocery stores there are more brands than milk! However it is no longer cheap leftover buttermilk. Modern day French buttermilk is a cultured whole milk product that has a thick consistency and cheesy flavour.
It is typically drunk as a snack or part of a meal. It’s also used for baking (of course) and is added into mashed potatoes and soups. We found it to be very drinkable and went through 4 litres in one week!
PrintEasy Lait Ribot
Lait ribot is a cultured buttermilk from Brittany in France. Made with whole milk, it is a thick and cheesy probiotic beverage. It is easy to make at home, provided you have some original culture from Brittany!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 Liter 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1 liter of whole milk
- 1/4 cup of cultured French buttermilk
Instructions
- Mix milk and culture together.
- Leave it out on the counter for 12-24 hours. It is finished when it has a slightly sour taste and thicker consistency.
- Refrigerate until ready to drink.
Notes
- French buttermilk is REALLY easy to culture. I tried several brands and they all worked well.
- The process for culturing is identical to making fermented buttermilk in North America, but it involves different cultures and the flavour is less sour and more cheesy.
Keywords: Brittany, buttermilk, cultured, probiotic, traditional, dairy, milk
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