The (Not So) Great Unanswered Question

Pross
Pross Posts: 40,217
edited November 2017 in The cake stop
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.
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  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    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.
    Ben

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  • dinyull
    dinyull Posts: 2,979
    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
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    French milk is from horses.

    Or so I believe.
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  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    Is it the same percentage fat?
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    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?!
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    TheBigBean wrote:
    Is it the same percentage fat?

    Pretty much.
  • 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!

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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    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
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    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
    team47b Posts: 6,424
    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) :D
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  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    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
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    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
    forehead Posts: 180
    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.

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  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    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
    shortfall Posts: 3,288
    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 :D
  • 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.

    man-cow.png
  • meursault
    meursault Posts: 1,433
    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.

    800.jpg
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    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
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    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
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    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.
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    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
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    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
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    Alex99 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
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    Alex99 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
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    Niet zo lekker at 8:30 in the morning!
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Why would you drink cappuccino anyway?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    Why would you drink cappuccino anyway?

    'cos I know how to make it properly, not like some Americans from Seattle?
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    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 ass 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?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    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
    mr_goo Posts: 3,770
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