The study of regional foods and cooking traditions is an important part of folklife research. A large number of these traditions in regions of the United States relate to dairy products of European origin, which go back to prehistoric times, when men first domesticated milk-producing animals. One of the problems posed by a perishable product like milk is its preservation in forms that can remain edible. Early in man's development, three processes capable of dealing with this problem were discovered: the souring of milk, the production of butter, and the chemical reconstruction of the solid ingredients in milk into cheese, a durable product that lasts for months.

The soured foods produced in the cultures of Europe and Asia are very ancient. Adopted by our primitive ancestors from necessity, they became staples and some have remained so to the present. Sour cream is a popular food in America today. It comes to us from European peasant cultures via the jewish emigration from eastern Europe.