dairy product: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 15, 2026

Photos and Videos

A stick of butter sits on a clear glass butter dish with the lid resting behind it.

Pasteurization of Milk

Two glasses of eggnog topped with grated nutmeg are set on a wooden surface, surrounded by whole eggs, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and a sprig of evergreen.

A clear glass filled with white kefir drink sits on a wooden table.

Glass bowl filled with creamy homemade yogurt and a wooden spoon, set on a green and yellow checkered cloth with daisies and a milk bottle in the background.

A detailed diagram visually explains the cheese-making process, showing steps from raw milk and pasteurization, through fermentation, curdling, cutting, cooking, milling, salting, molding, pressing, draining, and ripening into finished cheese.

calcium; human nutrition

All-Natural Ice Cream: What's Really in It?

Block of swiss cheese with holes alongside wine bottles and glasses on a table.

How Does Milk Become Cheese?

A round wheel of cheese with a wedge cut out sits on a blue wooden surface, overlaid with large text reading How It's Made and very light blue question marks in the background.

How Bacteria “Blow” Holes in Swiss Cheese

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Cheez Whiz milk cheese ice cream butter yogurt sherbet Dairying food egg seafood meat Origins of agriculture gastronomy cooking famine Fat food additive frozen meal

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

human nutrition: Milk and milk products

Grains and spices in bags, India. (Indian, vendor, market, food)

Ultimate Foodie Quiz

Chocolate wrapped in foil

Chocolate Quiz

Ceviche. Peruvian ceviche (sebiche). Raw seafood dish with lime, cilantro, peppers, plantains. Cuisine, food

A World of Food Quiz

Slices of lemon pie topped with meringue.

Baking and Baked Goods Quiz

Milk being poured into glass.

ABCs of Dairy

Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).

What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz