Butterfat
The fat in milk, which carries much of a cheese's flavour and decides how rich and soft it feels.
Also: milk fat, milkfat
Butterfat is the fat in milk, held in tiny globules that rise as cream when fresh milk stands. Its level varies with the animal: cow milk usually has about four per cent, while buffalo, sheep and yak milk have nearly twice as much, which is why buffalo-milk paneer and mozzarella are so rich. Fat is trapped in the curd as it forms, and it carries flavour, softens texture and helps a cheese melt. Many cheeses are made with partly skimmed milk, either because the cream went to make butter or to give a firmer, leaner result, as with Parmigiano Reggiano. Labels usually state fat as a share of dry matter, not of the whole cheese.