Sour Cream

Sour cream is a cultured dairy product made by fermenting cream until thick and tangy. It has a smooth, spoonable body with a cool lactic bite, and it enriches dips, dressings, and pan sauces without overwhelming other flavors. It dollops neatly onto tacos and baked potatoes and folds into batters to add tenderness; full-fat and light styles are common at retail.

It originated in Eastern and Central Europe through lactic fermentation traditions and spread widely across North American cooking via immigrant cuisines. Modern production inoculates pasteurized cream with starter cultures under controlled temperatures.