The (Not So) Great Unanswered Question

Pross

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

Ben6899

Pross wrote:

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

Not sure about France, but milk is sweetened in the US and Mexico. It's no wonder every third person is overweight.

dinyull

Small differences in climate, water, grass etc all add up. Even a "similar" type of feed with have loads of small differences.

Don't they pump cattle in america with growth hormone/steroids?

cooldad

French milk is from horses.

Or so I believe.

TheBigBean

Is it the same percentage fat?

chris_bass

maybe it is that you have the milk with different things than normal? maybe the milk is the same but you are different in France?!

Pross

TheBigBean wrote:

Is it the same percentage fat?

Pretty much.

darkhairedlord

isn't it bull's milk in france?
And since they spend all the CAP money on an endless stream of lazing about on bank holidays or on strike the equipment is all worn out. The bull therefore needs priming like siphoning petrol!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIsfTV6xgxA

Pross

Dinyull wrote:

Small differences in climate, water, grass etc all add up. Even a "similar" type of feed with have loads of small differences.

Don't they pump cattle in america with growth hormone/steroids?

But you would then expect noticeable variance in milk around the UK.

fat daddy

other countries probablu process it at different temperatures as well.

Perhaps due to the heat in southern Europe, they have to pasturise at a higher temp to keep the milk from going off so quick, which is why the fresh milk still tastes slightly like UHT

team47b

Different weeds amongst the grass can affect flavour, milk is generally blended from cows from different herds and breeds possibly French milk is from single breed herds like a 'reserve' wine, you may be able to taste the difference.

(I Have no problem in tasting the difference between vinho tinto and milk)

Alex99

Pross wrote:

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

Things taste different on holiday. That's why that bottle of local booze that you buy turns into filth when you get home.

Alex99

Pross wrote:

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

French milk has a certain, I don't know what.

forehead

Alex99 wrote:

Pross wrote:

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

French milk has a certain, I don't know what.

5 internet points for this man!

tangled_metal

Region specific cheeses are in part different because of the land the cows feed off. For example Cheshire cheese is salty because the Cheshire cows feed in.grass above a large reserve of salt. It's in the soil, grass and gets into the cows.

Of course that's milk for a purpose so isn't mixed with milk from a wide area of the country like milk for milk sales.

Can't remember last French.milk I tasted but it was raw and still close to body temperature. Did you know milk is actually slightly yellow. Well that was. Not tasted milk like it since.

shortfall

Alex99 wrote:

Pross wrote:

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

Things taste different on holiday. That's why that bottle of local booze that you buy turns into filth when you get home.

I've had similar experiences with birds I've met whilst abroad

darkhairedlord

Tangled Metal wrote:

Region specific cheeses are in part different because of the land the cows feed off. For example Cheshire cheese is salty because the Cheshire cows feed in.grass above a large reserve of salt. It's in the soil, grass and gets into the cows.

Of course that's milk for a purpose so isn't mixed with milk from a wide area of the country like milk for milk sales.

Can't remember last French.milk I tasted but it was raw and still close to body temperature. Did you know milk is actually slightly yellow. Well that was. Not tasted milk like it since.

that wasn't milk.

meursault

Alex99 wrote:

Pross wrote:

Hopefully this thread can help get answers to all those annoying, pointless questions that enter your heads from time to time.

My current one is - why does milk taste so different from country to country when cows in most developed countries eat a similar type of feed? French semi-skimmed is far different to ours.

French milk has a certain, I don't know what.

rick_chasey

So my grandfather was the chief nutritionist at a dairy factory, and used to despair at how the UK handled retail milk.

His take was milk should never be sold in plastic since milk has a propensity to take on flavours from its surroundings very easily. When I used to complain that Dutch milk tasted different, it was because it was sold in paper tetrapaks.

Basically, he was of the view that English milk tasted plasticy. That's why your milkman glass bottled milk tastes different to supermarket milk.

Pross

French milk was in plastic too. I'm veering to the temperature explanation as my first thought was it tasted a bit like UHT.

Matthewfalle

Best milk I've ever had is nice cold ice cold Jersey milk in the yellow carton - full cream. Yummy yummy calories in my tummy.

Alex99

Rick Chasey wrote:

So my grandfather was the chief nutritionist at a dairy factory, and used to despair at how the UK handled retail milk.

His take was milk should never be sold in plastic since milk has a propensity to take on flavours from its surroundings very easily. When I used to complain that Dutch milk tasted different, it was because it was sold in paper tetrapaks.

Basically, he was of the view that English milk tasted plasticy. That's why your milkman glass bottled milk tastes different to supermarket milk.

Makes sense. It's an emulsion, basically little blobs of fatty stuff suspended in an aqueous solution. It will happy absorb non-water soluble compounds such as plasticisers. Same reason that it can cool your mouth after eating chilli.

rick_chasey

Pross wrote:

French milk was in plastic too. I'm veering to the temperature explanation as my first thought was it tasted a bit like UHT.

Same plastic?

rick_chasey

Alex99 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

So my grandfather was the chief nutritionist at a dairy factory, and used to despair at how the UK handled retail milk.

His take was milk should never be sold in plastic since milk has a propensity to take on flavours from its surroundings very easily. When I used to complain that Dutch milk tasted different, it was because it was sold in paper tetrapaks.

Basically, he was of the view that English milk tasted plasticy. That's why your milkman glass bottled milk tastes different to supermarket milk.

Makes sense. It's an emulsion, basically little blobs of fatty stuff suspended in an aqueous solution. It will happy absorb non-water soluble compounds such as plasticisers. Same reason that it can cool your mouth after eating chilli.

Also why your cappucino will smell a bit garlicky if you're decided to leave your German salami unwrapped in your fridge.

Alex99

Rick Chasey wrote:

Alex99 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

So my grandfather was the chief nutritionist at a dairy factory, and used to despair at how the UK handled retail milk.

His take was milk should never be sold in plastic since milk has a propensity to take on flavours from its surroundings very easily. When I used to complain that Dutch milk tasted different, it was because it was sold in paper tetrapaks.

Basically, he was of the view that English milk tasted plasticy. That's why your milkman glass bottled milk tastes different to supermarket milk.

Makes sense. It's an emulsion, basically little blobs of fatty stuff suspended in an aqueous solution. It will happy absorb non-water soluble compounds such as plasticisers. Same reason that it can cool your mouth after eating chilli.

Also why your cappucino will smell a bit garlicky if you're decided to leave your German salami unwrapped in your fridge.

That doesn't sound too bad.

rick_chasey

Niet zo lekker at 8:30 in the morning!

Matthewfalle

Why would you drink cappuccino anyway?

rick_chasey

Matthewfalle wrote:

Why would you drink cappuccino anyway?

'cos I know how to make it properly, not like some Americans from Seattle?

Matthewfalle

Rick Chasey wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Why would you drink cappuccino anyway?

'cos I know how to make it properly, not like some Americans from Seattle?

There is no way of making a cappuccino properly - it is an abomination of a drink. A breakfast beverage for children.

However, I'm not going to open this can of censored whuppings again as last time we discussed this I was proven so incontrovertibly correct that I actually felt sorry for you, so let's not go down that highway.

As an aside - Seattle comment. Do you know something I haven't mentioned to too many people?

rick_chasey

No idea but, as with most foods that are popular and get copied around the world; the original is excellent.

Especially if they're from Italy, natch.

mr_goo

Q: What is it in the psyche of the majority of Range Rover drivers that makes them inconsiderate and/or aggressive drivers. It's an observation I've made as someone who drives 25 to 30 thousand miles a year. They are the most common car to tailgate and the ones to commonly exceed speed limits on any class of road. Plus they also have a propensity to park in disable bays or drop off areas.