On Food and Cooking

saturated milk fat fluid at body temperature,
and which are small enough that they can
evaporate into the air and reach our nose.
Normally, free fatty acids give an undesirable,
soapy flavor to foods. But in sparing
quantities, the 4- to 12-carbon rumen fatty
acids, branched versions of these, and acid-
alcohol combinations called esters, provide
milk with its fundamental blend of animal and
fruity notes. The distinctive smells of goat
and sheep milks are due to two particular
branched 8-carbon fatty acids (4-ethyl-
octanoic, 4-methyl-octanoic) that are absent
in cow’s milk. Buffalo milk, from which
traditional mozzarella cheese is made, has a
characteristic blend of modified fatty acids
reminiscent of mushrooms and freshly cut
grass, together with a barnyardy nitrogen
compound (indole).
The basic flavor of fresh milk is affected
by the animals’ feed. Dry hay and silage are
relatively poor in fat and protein and produce