Soured cream is the same product as sour cream: cream fermented with lactic acid bacteria until it thickens and develops a pleasantly tangy flavour. Traditionally made by letting cream sour naturally, it is now produced by inoculating pasteurised cream with defined cultures and incubating it to a set acidity. With around 18% fat in the classic version, it is rich enough to dollop onto baked potatoes, chillies, and baked dishes without curdling, and it lightens dips and dressings. Lower-fat versions exist but split more readily in heat. It is the cooling foil to spicy food across Eastern European and Tex-Mex cooking, and a baked potato without it is, to its devotees, barely a baked potato at all.