Butter
Butter exists as a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature. At 20 degrees Celsius, the product contains approximately 81 percent butterfat. This fat forms a liquid phase dispersed within a solid fat phase. Water remains present inside this complex structure. The density of the substance varies slightly based on production methods. Commercial versions typically hold about 80 percent fat and 15 percent water. Traditional handmade varieties may contain as little as 65 percent fat and up to 30 percent water. These ratios determine whether the final product feels hard or soft. Butterfat itself is a mixture of triglyceride triesters derived from glycerol. Three fatty acid groups attach to each molecule. Variations in these components create different consistencies for consumers.
The word butter derives via Germanic languages from the Latin butyrum. This Latin term represents the latinisation of the Greek bouturon. The Greek compound combines bous meaning ox or cow with turos meaning cheese. Thus the original phrase translates to cow-cheese. A later Sumerian tablet dating to approximately 2,500 B.C. describes the butter making process. It details milking cattle alongside the creation of the dairy product. Contemporary Sumerian tablets identify butter as a ritual offering during that era. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it only as unguent and medicine. They considered it food fit for barbarians rather than civilized people. Pliny the Elder called butter the most delicate of food among barbarous nations. He went on to describe its medicinal properties in his Natural History. The physician Galen also described butter as a medicinal agent only.
Until the 19th century, the vast majority of butter was made by hand. Farmers produced it on farms for family use or to sell locally. They used wood presses with carved decoration identifying the producer. These tools pressed butter into pucks or small bricks for markets. This practice continued until production became mechanized. Butter then appeared in less decorative stick forms. The first butter factories appeared in the United States in the early 1860s. This followed the successful introduction of cheese factories a decade earlier. In the late 1870s, the centrifugal cream separator was introduced. Swedish engineer Carl Gustaf Patrik de Laval marketed this device successfully. It sped up the butter-making process significantly. In 1920, Otto Hunziker wrote The Butter Industry for factory and school use. Three editions were printed in 1920, 1927, and 1940. His work helped standardize practices internationally alongside other American Dairy Science Association publications.
Before modern factory butter making, cream was usually collected from several milkings. It was therefore several days old and somewhat fermented when processed. Butter made in this traditional way is known as cultured butter. During fermentation, bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid naturally. This process produces additional aroma compounds including diacetyl. Diacetyl makes for a fuller-flavored and more buttery tasting product. Butter made from fresh cream is called sweet cream butter. Production of sweet cream butter first became common in the 19th century. Refrigeration and mechanical milk separators made it faster to produce at scale. Cultured butter is preferred throughout continental Europe while sweet cream butter dominates in the United States and the United Kingdom. Chef Jansen Chan notes that dairy in France and most of Europe is higher quality than most of the U.S. French butter often has an 82 percent butterfat minimum compared to the 80 percent minimum in the U.S. Several butters have protected geographical indications such as Beurre d'Isigny from France or Mantequilla de Soria from Spain.
Since the 1940s, but more commonly the 1960s, butter pats have been individually wrapped. They are packed in cardboard boxes now. Prior to use of cardboard, butter was bulk packed in wood. The earliest discoveries used firkins. From about 1882 wooden boxes were used as refrigeration on ships allowed longer transit times. In the United States, butter has traditionally been made into small rectangular blocks by means of a pair of wooden butter paddles. It is usually produced in sticks that are individually wrapped in waxed or foiled paper. This practice is believed to have originated in 1907 when Swift and Company began packaging butter this way for mass distribution. Four-ounce sticks are commonly produced in two different shapes due to historical differences in printers. The dominant shape east of the Rocky Mountains is the Elgin or eastern-pack shape. West of the Rocky Mountains, butter printers standardized on a western-pack shape. These sticks measure differently and pack four sticks side-by-side in flat boxes.
Butter has been considered indispensable in French cuisine since the 17th century. Fernand Point said Give me butter, more butter, still more butter. Julia Child stated With enough butter anything is good. Melted butter plays an important role in sauce preparation notably in French cuisine. Beurre noisite hazelnut butter and Beurre noir black butter are sauces cooked until milk solids turn golden or dark brown. Hollandaise and béarnaise sauces are emulsions of egg yolk and melted butter. Butter itself contains enough emulsifiers mostly remnants of fat globule membranes to form stable emulsions on its own. Beurre blanc white butter is made by whisking butter into reduced vinegar or wine. It forms an emulsion with the texture of thick cream. Butter fills several roles in baking including making possible a range of textures. It makes chemical leavenings work better while tenderizing proteins. Compound butters are mixtures of butter and other ingredients used to flavor various dishes.
Salted butter during manufacturing is 16 percent water and 81 percent fat. Protein accounts for 1 percent with negligible carbohydrates present. Of the total fat saturated fat measures 51 grams per serving. Monounsaturated fat reaches 21 grams while polyunsaturated fat totals 3 grams. A reference amount supplies 717 calories and 76 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin A. In 100 grams salted butter contains 215 mg of cholesterol. As butter is essentially just the milk fat it contains only traces of lactose. Moderate consumption of butter is unlikely to cause symptoms for lactose intolerant people. People with milk allergies may still need to avoid butter which contains enough allergy-causing proteins. A 2015 study concluded that hypercholesterolemic people should keep their consumption of butter to a minimum. A meta-analysis published in 2016 found relatively small or insignificant overall associations of 14g daily intake with mortality. The study states findings do not support a need for major emphasis on increasing or decreasing butter consumption.
Common questions
What is the butterfat percentage in commercial butter?
Commercial versions of butter typically hold about 80 percent fat and 15 percent water. Traditional handmade varieties may contain as little as 65 percent fat and up to 30 percent water.
When did the first butter factories appear in the United States?
The first butter factories appeared in the United States in the early 1860s. This development followed the successful introduction of cheese factories a decade earlier.
Who invented the centrifugal cream separator used for making butter?
Swedish engineer Carl Gustaf Patrik de Laval marketed the centrifugal cream separator successfully in the late 1870s. This device sped up the butter-making process significantly.
Which countries prefer cultured butter versus sweet cream butter?
Cultured butter is preferred throughout continental Europe while sweet cream butter dominates in the United States and the United Kingdom. French butter often has an 82 percent butterfat minimum compared to the 80 percent minimum in the U.S.
When did Swift and Company begin packaging butter in sticks?
This practice is believed to have originated in 1907 when Swift and Company began packaging butter this way for mass distribution. Four-ounce sticks are commonly produced in two different shapes due to historical differences in printers.