脱脂粉乳(だっしふんにゅう)

Composed of 脱脂(だっし) (defatted; with the fat removed), 粉(ふん) (powder), and 乳(にゅう) (milk). Reads with sokuon (だっし) and the nasal-doubling typical when ふん meets にゅう (ふんにゅう).

Usage

In modern Japan, this word carries strong nostalgic and sometimes negative associations because of its prominent role in postwar school lunches. From the late 1940s through the early 1970s, donated American skim milk powder was reconstituted with hot water and served in school lunches; many older Japanese remember the smell and taste with distaste, and 脱脂粉乳(だっしふんにゅう) is often invoked as a symbol of postwar privation. It is still used today as an industrial ingredient, but consumers more often encounter the term スキムミルク on supermarket shelves. 脱脂乳(だっしにゅう) (without the 粉(ふん)) refers to liquid skim milk before drying.

Common collocations

• 脱脂粉乳(だっしふんにゅう)を溶(と)かす: to reconstitute skim milk powder
• 脱脂粉乳(だっしふんにゅう)を使(つか)う: to use skim milk powder
• 給食(きゅうしょく)の脱脂粉乳(だっしふんにゅう): school-lunch skim milk powder
• 脱脂粉乳(だっしふんにゅう)入(い)り: containing skim milk powder

Similar words

• スキムミルク: skim milk — modern consumer term, same product
• 粉乳(ふんにゅう): powdered milk — broader, includes whole-milk powder
• 全脂粉乳(ぜんしふんにゅう): whole-milk powder — the full-fat counterpart
• 脱脂乳(だっしにゅう): liquid skim milk — the same product before being dried
• コンデンスミルク: condensed milk — concentrated, sweetened liquid form