View source for Butter

{{Other uses}}
[[File:NCI butter.jpg|right|thumbnail|300px|Butter is commonly sold in sticks (pictured {{convert|4|oz|abbr=on|disp=s}}) or blocks, and frequently served with the use of a [[butter knife]].]]
'''Butter''' is a [[dairy product]] made by [[churning (butter)|churning]] fresh or [[fermentation (food)|fermented]] [[cream]] or [[milk]]. It is generally used as a [[spread (food)|spread]] and a [[condiment]], as well as in [[cooking]] applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan [[frying]]. Butter consists of [[butterfat]], water and milk [[protein]]s.

Most frequently made from [[cattle|cows]]' milk, butter can also be manufactured from the milk of other [[mammal]]s, including [[sheep]], [[goat]]s, [[Domestic buffalo|buffalo]], and [[yak]]s. [[Edible salt|Salt]], [[flavoring]]s and [[preservative]]s are sometimes added to butter. [[Kitchen rendering|Rendering]] butter produces [[clarified butter]] or ''[[ghee]]'', which is almost entirely butterfat.

Butter is a water-in-oil [[emulsion]] resulting from an inversion of the cream, an oil-in-water emulsion; the milk proteins are the emulsifiers. Butter remains a solid when [[refrigerated]], but softens to a spreadable consistency at [[room temperature]], and melts to a thin liquid consistency at 32&ndash;35&nbsp;[[°C]] (90&ndash;95&nbsp;[[°F]]). The density of butter is 911&nbsp;[[kilogram|kg]]/[[Cubic metre|m<sup>3</sup>]] (56.9&nbsp;[[Pound (mass)|lb]]/[[Cubic foot|ft<sup>3</sup>]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hypertextbook.com/physics/matter/density/ |work=The Physics Hypertextbook|title=Density|last=Elert|first=Glenn}}</ref>

It generally has a pale [[yellow]] color, but varies from deep yellow to nearly white. Its unmodified color is dependent on the animals' feed and is commonly manipulated with [[food coloring]]s in the commercial manufacturing process, most commonly [[annatto]] or [[carotene]].

==Etymology==
The word ''butter'' derives (via [[Germanic languages]]) from the [[Latin]] ''butyrum'', which is borrowed from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''boutyron''. This may have been a construction meaning "cow-cheese" (''bous'' "ox, cow" + ''tyros'' "cheese"), or the word may have been borrowed from another language, possibly [[Scythian languages|Scythian]].<ref>Douglas Harper's ''Online Etymology Dictionary'' entry for [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=butter ''butter'']. Retrieved 27 November 2005.</ref> The [[Root (linguistics)|root word]] persists in the name [[butyric acid]], a compound found in [[Rancidification|rancid]] butter and dairy products such as [[Parmigiano-Reggiano|Parmesan cheese]]. (Another possibility may be an extended derivation from Sanskrit ''bhutari'', meaning "the enemy of evil spirits".){{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}

In general use, the term "butter" refers to the [[spread]] dairy product when unqualified by other descriptors. The word commonly is used to describe [[purée]]d vegetable or [[nut butter|nut]] products such as [[peanut butter]] and [[almond butter]]. It is often applied to spread [[Fruit butter|fruit products]] such as [[apple butter]]. [[Fat]]s such as [[cocoa butter]] and [[shea butter]] that remain solid at room temperature are also known as "butters". In addition to the act of applying butter being called "to butter", non-dairy items that have a dairy butter consistency may use "butter' to call that consistency to mind, including food items such as [[maple butter]] and [[Tremella mesenterica|Witch's butter]] and non-food items such as [[baby bottom butter]], [[hyena butter]], and [[rock butter]].

==Production==
{{Main|Churning (butter)}}
[[File:Butter Fügen.jpg|right|thumb|Commercial butter-making is a carefully controlled operation.]]

[[Homogenization (chemistry)|Unhomogenized]] milk and cream contain [[butterfat]] in [[microscopic]] globules. These globules are surrounded by membranes made of [[phospholipid]]s ([[fatty acid]] [[emulsifier]]s) and [[protein]]s, which prevent the fat in milk from pooling together into a single mass. Butter is produced by agitating cream, which damages these membranes and allows the milk fats to conjoin, separating from the other parts of the cream. Variations in the production method will create butters with different consistencies, mostly due to the butterfat composition in the finished product. Butter contains fat in three separate forms: free butterfat, butterfat [[crystals]], and undamaged fat globules. In the finished product, different proportions of these forms result in different consistencies within the butter; butters with many crystals are harder than butters dominated by free fats.

[[File:Churning butter.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Churning cream into butter using a hand held mixer]]

Churning produces small butter grains floating in the water-based portion of the cream. This watery liquid is called [[buttermilk]]&mdash;although the buttermilk most common today is instead a directly fermented skimmed milk. The buttermilk is drained off; sometimes more buttermilk is removed by rinsing the grains with water. Then the grains are "worked": pressed and kneaded together. When prepared manually, this is done using wooden boards called [[scotch hands]]. This consolidates the butter into a solid mass and breaks up embedded pockets of buttermilk or water into tiny droplets.

Commercial butter is about 80% butterfat and 15% water; traditionally made butter may have as little as 65% fat and 30% water. Butterfat consists of many moderate-sized, saturated [[hydrocarbon]] chain fatty acids. It is a [[triglyceride]], an [[ester]] derived from [[glycerol]] and three [[fatty acid]] groups. Butter becomes [[rancidification|rancid]] when these chains break down into smaller components, like [[butyric acid]] and [[diacetyl]]. The density of butter is 0.911&nbsp;[[Gram|g]]/[[Cubic centimetre|cm<sup>3</sup>]] (527&nbsp;[[Ounce|oz]]/[[Cubic inch|in<sup>3</sup>]]), about the same as [[ice]].
{{clr}}

==Types==<!-- This section is linked from [[Butter]] -->
[[File:Hand-made butter.jpg|right|thumb|Hand-made butter]]
Before modern factory butter making, cream was usually collected from several milkings and was therefore several days old and somewhat fermented by the time it was made into butter. Butter made from a fermented cream is known as '''cultured butter'''. During fermentation, the cream naturally sours as [[bacterium|bacteria]] convert [[lactose|milk sugars]] into [[lactic acid]]. The fermentation process produces additional aroma compounds, including [[diacetyl]], which makes for a fuller-flavored and more "buttery" tasting product.<ref name=McGee35>McGee p. 35.</ref> Today, cultured butter is usually made from pasteurized cream whose fermentation is produced by the introduction of ''[[Lactococcus]]'' and ''[[Leuconostoc]]'' bacteria.

Another method for producing cultured butter, developed in the early 1970s, is to produce butter from fresh cream and then incorporate bacterial cultures and lactic acid. Using this method, the cultured butter flavor grows as the butter is aged in cold storage. For manufacturers, this method is more efficient since aging the cream used to make butter takes significantly more space than simply storing the finished butter product. A method to make an artificial simulation of cultured butter is to add lactic acid and flavor compounds directly to the fresh-cream butter; while this more efficient process is claimed to simulate the taste of cultured butter, the product produced is not cultured but is instead flavored.

[[File:Butter melt with sugar.jpg|thumb|left|When heated, butter quickly melts into a thin liquid.]]
Dairy products are often [[pasteurization|pasteurized]] during production to kill [[pathogen]]ic bacteria and other [[microbe]]s. Butter made from pasteurized fresh cream is called '''sweet cream butter'''. Production of sweet cream butter first became common in the 19th century, with the development of [[refrigeration]] and the mechanical [[cream separator]].<ref>McGee p. 33.</ref> Butter made from fresh or cultured unpasteurized cream is called '''raw cream butter'''. Raw cream butter has a "cleaner" cream flavor, without the cooked-milk notes that pasteurization introduces.

Throughout [[Continental Europe]], cultured butter is preferred, while sweet cream butter dominates in the United States and the [[United Kingdom]]. Therefore, cultured butter is sometimes labeled ''European-style butter'' in the United States. Commercial raw cream butter is virtually unheard-of in the United States. Raw cream butter is generally only found made at home by consumers who have purchased raw whole milk directly from dairy farmers, skimmed the cream themselves, and made butter with it. It is rare in Europe as well.<ref name=McGee34>McGee p. 34.</ref>

Several '''spreadable butters''' have been developed; these remain softer at colder temperatures and are therefore easier to use directly out of refrigeration. Some modify the makeup of the butter's fat through chemical manipulation of the finished product, some through manipulation of the cattle's feed, and some by incorporating [[vegetable oil]]s into the butter. '''Whipped butter''', another product designed to be more spreadable, is aerated via the incorporation of [[nitrogen]] gas&mdash;normal air is not used, because doing so would encourage [[oxidation]] and [[rancidification|rancidity]].

[[File:Butter at the Borough Market.jpg|thumb|right|Butter sold in a London market, salted (right) and unsalted (left)]]

All categories of butter are sold either in salted and unsalted forms. Either granular [[edible salt|salt]] or a strong [[brine]] are added to salted butter during processing. In addition to enhanced flavor, the addition of salt acts as a [[preservative]].

The amount of [[butterfat]] in the finished product is a vital aspect of production. In the United States, products sold as "butter" are required to contain a minimum of 80% butterfat; in practice most American butters contain only slightly more than that, averaging around 81% butterfat. European butters generally have a higher ratio, which may extend up to 85%.

[[Clarified butter]] is butter with almost all of its water and milk solids removed, leaving almost-pure butterfat. Clarified butter is made by heating butter to its [[melting point]] and then allowing it to cool off; after settling, the remaining components separate by density. At the top, [[whey]] proteins form a skin which is removed, and the resulting butterfat is then poured off from the mixture of water and [[casein]] proteins that settle to the bottom.<ref name=McGee_37>McGee p. 37.</ref>

[[Ghee]] is clarified butter which is brought to higher temperatures of around 120&nbsp;°C (250&nbsp;°F) once the water has cooked off, allowing the milk solids to brown. This process flavors the ghee, and also produces [[antioxidant]]s which help protect it longer from rancidity. Because of this, ghee can keep for six to eight months under normal conditions.<ref name=McGee_37/>

Cream may be skimmed from [[whey]] instead of milk, as a [[by-product]] of [[cheese]]-making. Whey butter may be made from whey cream. Whey cream and butter have a lower fat content and taste more salty, tangy and "cheesy".<ref>[http://oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/everything_is_in_butter/ Article on sweet cream, whey cream, and the butters they produce]</ref> They are also cheaper than "sweet" cream and butter.

===European Butters===
There are several butters produced in [[Europe]] with [[Protected Geographical Status|Protected]] geographical indications, these include:

*[[Beurre d'Ardenne]], from [[Belgium]]
*[[Beurre d'Isigny]], from [[France]]
*[[Beurre Charentes-Poitou]] (Which also includes: Beurre des Charentes and Beurre des Deux-Sèvres under the same classification), from France
*[[Beurre Rose]], from [[Luxembourg]]
*[[Mantequilla de Soria]], from [[Spain]]
*[[Mantequilla de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya]], from Spain

==History==
[[File:ButterMakingPalestine1914.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Traditional butter-making in Palestine''. Ancient techniques were still practiced in the early 20th century. ''[[National Geographic]]'', March 1914.]]

The earliest butter would have been from [[sheep]] or [[goat]]'s milk; [[cattle]] are not thought to have been [[domestication|domesticated]] for another thousand years.<ref>Dates from McGee p. 10.</ref> An ancient method of butter making, still used today in parts of [[Africa]] and the [[Near East]], involves a goat skin half filled with milk, and inflated with air before being sealed. The skin is then hung with ropes on a tripod of sticks, and rocked until the movement leads to the formation of butter.

In the [[Mediterranean climate]], unclarified butter spoils quickly&mdash; unlike [[cheese]] it is not a practical method of preserving the nutrients of milk. The ancient Greeks and Romans seemed to have considered butter a food fit more for the northern [[barbarian]]s. A play by the Greek comic poet [[Anaxandrides]] refers to [[Thracians]] as ''boutyrophagoi''; "butter-eaters".<ref name=Dalby_65>Dalby p. 65.</ref> In ''[[Natural History]]'', [[Pliny the Elder]] calls butter "the most delicate of food among barbarous nations", and goes on to describe its medicinal properties.<ref>Bostock and Riley translation. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137;query=chapter%3D%232043;layout=;loc=28.36|Book Book 28, chapter 35].</ref> Later, the physician [[Galen]] also described butter as a medicinal agent only.<ref>Galen. ''de aliment. facult.''</ref>

Historian and linguist Andrew Dalby says that most references to butter in ancient Near Eastern texts should more correctly be translated as [[ghee]]. Ghee is mentioned in the [[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]] as a typical trade article around the 1st century CE [[Arabian Sea]], and Roman geographer [[Strabo]] describes it as a commodity of [[Arabia]] and [[Sudan (region)|Sudan]].<ref name=Dalby_65/> In [[India]], ghee has been a symbol of purity and an offering to the gods&mdash;especially [[Agni]], the [[Hindu]] god of fire&mdash;for more than 3000 years; references to ghee's sacred nature appear numerous times in the [[Rig Veda]], circa 1500&ndash;1200&nbsp;BCE. The tale of the child [[Krishna]] stealing butter remains a popular children's story in India today. Since India's prehistory, ghee has been both a [[staple food]] and used for ceremonial purposes such as fueling holy lamps and funeral pyres.

===Middle ages===
[[File:MakingButter1499.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Woman churning butter; ''Compost et Kalendrier des Bergères'', Paris, 1499.]]
The cooler climates of northern Europe allowed butter to be stored for a longer period before it spoiled. [[Scandinavia]] has the oldest tradition in Europe of butter export trade, dating at least to the 12th century.<ref name=WE>Web Exhibits: Butter. [http://webexhibits.org/butter/history-firkins.html Ancient Firkins].</ref> After the fall of Rome and through much of the [[Middle Ages]], butter was a common food across most of Europe, but one with a low reputation, and was consumed principally by [[peasant]]s. Butter slowly became more accepted by the upper class, notably when the early 16th century [[Roman Catholic Church]] allowed its consumption during [[Lent]]. Bread and butter became common fare among the [[middle class]] and the English, in particular, gained a reputation for their liberal use of melted butter as a sauce with meat and vegetables.<ref>McGee p. 33, "Ancient, Once Unfashionable".</ref>

In antiquity, butter was used for fuel in lamps as a substitute for oil. The ''Butter Tower'' of [[Rouen Cathedral]] was erected in the early 16th century when Archbishop [[Georges d'Amboise]] authorized the burning of butter instead of oil, which was scarce at the time, during Lent.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Pantropheon or a History of Food and its Preparation in Ancient Times |last=Soyer |first=Alexis|year=1977|origyear=1853|publisher=Paddington Press |location=Wisbech, Cambs. |isbn=0-448-22976-5|pages=172}}</ref>

Across northern Europe, butter was sometimes treated in a manner unheard-of today: it was packed into barrels ([[firkin]]s) and buried in [[peat bog]]s, perhaps for years. Such "[[bog butter]]" would develop a strong flavor as it aged, but remain edible, in large part because of the unique cool, airless, [[antiseptic]] and [[acid]]ic environment of a peat bog. Firkins of such buried butter are a common archaeological find in Ireland; the Irish National Museum has some containing "a grayish cheese-like substance, partially hardened, not much like butter, and quite free from putrefaction." The practice was most common in Ireland in the 11th&ndash;14th centuries; it ended entirely before the 19th century.<ref name=WE/>

===Industrialization===
Like Ireland, [[France]] became well-known for its butter, particularly in [[Normandy]] and [[Brittany]]. By the 1860s, butter had become so in demand in France that Emperor [[Napoleon III of France|Napoleon III]] offered prize money for an inexpensive substitute to supplement France's inadequate butter supplies. A [[Hippolyte Mège-Mouriés|French chemist]] claimed the prize with the invention of [[margarine]] in 1869. The first margarine was [[beef]] [[tallow]] flavored with milk and worked like butter; vegetable margarine followed after the development of [[hydrogenation|hydrogenated]] oils around 1900.

[[File:GustafDeLaval.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Gustaf de Laval's [[centrifuge|centrifugal]] cream separator sped the butter-making process.]]
Until the 19th century, the vast majority of butter was made by hand, on farms. The first butter factories appeared in the United States in the early 1860s, after the successful introduction of [[cheese]] factories a decade earlier. In the late 1870s, the [[centrifuge|centrifugal]] [[cream separator]] was introduced, marketed most successfully by [[Sweden|Swedish]] engineer [[Gustav de Laval|Carl Gustaf Patrik de Laval]].<ref>Edwards, Everett E. "Europe's Contribution to the American Dairy Industry". ''The Journal of Economic History'', Volume 9, 1949. 72-84.</ref> This dramatically sped up the butter-making process by eliminating the slow step of letting cream naturally rise to the top of milk. Initially, whole milk was shipped to the butter factories, and the cream separation took place there. Soon, though, cream-separation technology became small and inexpensive enough to introduce an additional efficiency: the separation was accomplished on the farm, and the cream alone shipped to the factory. By 1900, more than half the butter produced in the [[United States]] was factory made; [[Europe]] followed suit shortly after.

In 1920, [[Otto Frederick Hunziker|Otto Hunziker]] authored ''The Butter Industry, Prepared for Factory, School and Laboratory'',<ref>{{cite book | last =Hunziker | first =O F | authorlink=Otto Frederick Hunziker | year =1920 | title =The Butter Industry, Prepared for Factory, School and Laboratory | publisher =author | location =LaGrange, IL}}</ref> a well-known text in the industry that enjoyed at least three editions (1920, 1927, 1940). As part of the efforts of the [[American Dairy Science Association]], Professor Hunziker and others published articles regarding: causes of tallowiness<ref>{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | authorlink = Otto Frederick Hunziker | coauthors = D. Fay Hosman | title = Tallowy Butter—its Causes and Prevention | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 1 | issue = 4 | pages = 320–346 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date=1 November 1917| url =http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/1/4/320 | format=PDF | accessdate = 2008-06-28 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(17)94386-3 }}</ref> (an odor defect, distinct from rancidity, a taste defect); mottles<ref>{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | authorlink = Otto Frederick Hunziker | coauthors = D. Fay Hosman | title = Mottles in Butter—Their Causes and Prevention | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 3 | issue = 2 | pages = 77–106 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date=1 March 1920| url =http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/3/2/77 | format=PDF | accessdate = 2008-06-28 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(20)94253-4 }}</ref> (an aesthetic issue related to uneven color); introduced salts;<ref>{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | authorlink = Otto Frederick Hunziker | coauthors = W. A. Cordes; B. H. Nissen | title = Studies on Butter Salts | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 11 | issue = 5 | pages = 333–351 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date=1 September 1929| url=http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/11/5/333 | format=PDF | accessdate = 2008-06-28 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(28)93647-4 }}</ref> the impact of creamery metals<ref>{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | authorlink = Otto Frederick Hunziker | coauthors = W. A. Cordes; B. H. Nissen | title = Metals in Dairy Equipment. Metallic Corrosion in Milk Products and its Effect on Flavor | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | pages = 140–181 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date=1 March 1929| url=http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/12/2/140 | format=PDF | accessdate = 2008-06-28 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(29)93566-9 }}</ref> and liquids;<ref>{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | authorlink = Otto Frederick Hunziker | coauthors = W. A. Cordes; B. H. Nissen | title = Metals in Dairy Equipment: Corrosion Caused by Washing Powders, Chemical Sterilizers, and Refrigerating Brines | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 12 | issue = 3 | pages = 252–284 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date=1 May 1929| url=http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/12/3/252 | format=PDF | accessdate = 2008-06-28 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(29)93575-X }}</ref> and acidity measurement.<ref>{{cite journal | last= Hunziker | first=O F | authorlink = Otto Frederick Hunziker | coauthors = W. A. Cordes; B. H. Nissen | title = Method for Hydrogen Ion Determination of Butter | journal = Journal of Dairy Science | volume = 14 | issue = 4 | pages = 347–37 | publisher = American Dairy Science Association | date=1 July 1931| url =http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/14/4/347 | format=PDF | accessdate = 2008-06-28 | doi= 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(31)93478-4 }}</ref> These and other ADSA publications helped standardize practices internationally.

Per capita butter consumption declined in most western nations during the 20th century, in large part because of the rising popularity of [[margarine]], which is less expensive and, until recent years, was perceived as being healthier. In the United States, margarine consumption overtook butter during the 1950s<ref>Web Exhibits: Butter. [http://webexhibits.org/butter/consumption-butter-fat.html Eating less butter, and more fat].</ref> and it is still the case today that more margarine than butter is eaten in the U.S. and the EU.<ref>See for example [http://www.imace.org/graphique/prod-eu.htm this chart] from International Margarine Association of the Countries of Europe [http://www.imace.org/margarine/stat.htm statistics]. Retrieved 4 December 2005.</ref>

==Shape of butter sticks==
{{Globalize|section|date=September 2010}}
[[File:Western-pack-butter.jpg|thumb|right|Western-pack shape butter]]
In the United States, butter sticks are usually produced and sold in 4-[[ounce]] sticks, wrapped in waxed paper and sold four to a carton. This practice is believed to have originated in 1907, when [[Swift and Company]] began packaging butter in this manner for mass distribution.<ref name="parker">{{cite paper
  | author = Milton E. Parker
  | title = Princely Packets of Golden Health (A History of Butter Packaging)
  | version =
  | publisher =
  | year = 1948
  | url = http://drinc.ucdavis.edu/research/butter.pdf
  | format = PDF
  | accessdate =  2006-10-15}}</ref>

Due to historical variances in butter printers, these sticks are commonly produced in two differing shapes:
* The dominant shape east of the Rocky Mountains is the Elgin, or Eastern-pack shape. This shape was originally developed by the Elgin Butter Tub Company, founded in 1882 in [[Elgin, Illinois]], and [[Rock Falls, Illinois]]. The sticks are 4¾ inches long and 1¼ inches {{nowrap|(121 mm × 32 mm)}} wide, and are usually sold packed side-by-side in a rectangular container.<ref name="cooksill">{{Cite journal
|surname=
| given=
| authorlink=
| title=A Better Stick of Butter?
| journal=Cook's Illustrated
|volume=
|issue=72
| year=2005
| page=3
| url=
|postscript=<!--None--> }}</ref>  Among the early butter printers to use this shape was the Elgin Butter Cutter.

* West of the Rocky Mountains, butter printers standardized on a different shape that is now referred to as the Western-pack shape.<ref name="cooksill"/>  These butter sticks are 3¼ inches long and 1½ inches wide {{nowrap|(80 mm × 38 mm)}} and are typically sold in cube-shaped boxes stacked two by two.

Both sticks contain the same amount of butter, although most butter dishes are designed for Elgin-style butter sticks.

The stick's wrapper is usually marked off as eight [[tablespoon]]s ({{convert|120|ml|abbr=on|disp=s}}); the actual volume of one stick is approximately nine tablespoons ({{convert|130|ml|abbr=on|disp=s}}).<!-- assuming the US customary tablespoon -->

==Worldwide==
[[File:Ghee jar.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Indian [[ghee]] in a jar]]
In 1997, India produced {{convert|1470000|MT|ST|lk=on}} of butter, most of which was consumed domestically.<ref>Most nations produce and consume the bulk of their butter domestically.</ref> Second in production was the United States ({{convert|522000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}), followed by France ({{convert|466000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}), [[Germany]] ({{convert|442000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}), and [[New Zealand]] ({{convert|307000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}). France ranks first in per capita butter consumption with 8&nbsp;kg per capita per year.<ref>http://envoye-special.france2.fr/index-fr.php?page=reportage&id_rubrique=1496</ref>. In terms of absolute consumption, Germany was second after India, using {{convert|578000|MT|ST}} of butter in 1997, followed by France ({{convert|528000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}), [[Russia]] ({{convert|514000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}), and the United States ({{convert|505000|MT|ST|disp=s|abbr=on}}). New Zealand, [[Australia]], and the [[Ukraine]] are among the few nations that export a significant percentage of the butter they produce.<ref>Statistics from [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] Foreign Agricultural Service (1999). [http://www.fas.usda.gov/dlp2/circular/1999/99-07dairy/toc.htm Dairy: Word Markets and Trade]. Retrieved 1 December 2005. The export and import figures do not include trade between nations within the [[European Union]], and there are inconsistencies regarding the inclusion of clarified butterfat products (explaining why New Zealand is shown exporting more butter in 1997 than was produced).</ref>

Different varieties are found around the world. ''[[Smen]]'' is a spiced [[Morocco|Moroccan]] clarified butter, buried in the ground and aged for months or years. [[Yak]] butter is important in [[Tibet]]; ''[[tsampa]]'', [[barley]] flour mixed with yak butter, is a staple food. [[Butter tea]] is consumed in the [[Himalaya]]n regions of Tibet, [[Bhutan]], [[Nepal]] and India. It consists of [[tea]] served with intensely flavored &mdash; or "rancid"&mdash;yak butter and salt. In [[Africa]]n and [[Asia]]n [[developing country|developing nations]], butter is traditionally made from [[Soured milk|sour milk]] rather than cream. It can take several hours of churning to produce workable butter grains from fermented milk.<ref>Crawford ''et al.'', part B, section III, ch. 1: [http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0251e/T0251E15.htm#ch1 Butter]. Retrieved 28 November 2005.</ref>

==Storage and cooking==
Normal butter softens to a spreadable consistency around 15&nbsp;°C (60&nbsp;°F), well above [[refrigerator]] temperatures. The "butter compartment" found in many refrigerators may be one of the warmer sections inside, but it still leaves butter quite hard. Until recently, many refrigerators sold in [[New Zealand]] featured a "butter conditioner", a compartment kept warmer than the rest of the refrigerator&mdash;but still cooler than room temperature&mdash;with a small heater.<ref>[http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=668 Bring back butter conditioners]. Retrieved 27 November 2005. The feature has been phased out for [[energy conservation]] reasons.</ref> Keeping butter tightly wrapped delays rancidity, which is hastened by exposure to light or air, and also helps prevent it from picking up other odors. Wrapped butter has a [[shelf life]] of several months at refrigerator temperatures.<ref>According to [http://www.joyofbaking.com/Butter.html joyofbaking.com], unsalted butter can last for up to three months and salted butter up to five.</ref>

"[[French butter dish]]es" or "[[Acadian]] butter dishes" involve a lid with a long interior lip, which sits in a container holding a small amount of water. Usually the dish holds just enough water to submerge the interior lip when the dish is closed. Butter is packed into the lid. The water acts as a seal to keep the butter fresh, and also keeps the butter from overheating in hot temperatures. This allows butter to be safely stored on the countertop for several days without spoilage.

Once butter is softened, [[spice]]s, [[herb]]s, or other flavoring agents can be mixed into it, producing what is called a ''compound butter'' or ''composite butter'' (sometimes also called ''composed butter''). Compound butters can be used as spreads, or cooled, sliced, and placed onto hot food to melt into a sauce. Sweetened compound butters can be served with [[dessert]]s; such [[hard sauce]]s are often flavored with [[distilled beverage|spirits]].

[[File:Spargel sauce hollandaise.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Hollandaise sauce]] served over white [[asparagus]] and [[potato]]es.]]
Melted butter plays an important role in the preparation of [[sauce]]s, most obviously in [[French cuisine]]. ''[[Beurre noisette]]'' (hazel butter) and ''[[Beurre noir]]'' (black butter) are sauces of melted butter cooked until the milk solids and sugars have turned golden or dark brown; they are often finished with an addition of [[vinegar]] or [[lemon juice]]. [[Hollandaise sauce|Hollandaise]] and [[bearnaise sauce|béarnaise]] sauces are [[emulsion]]s of [[egg (food)|egg yolk]] and melted butter; they are in essence [[mayonnaise]]s made with butter instead of oil. Hollandaise and béarnaise sauces are stabilized with the powerful [[emulsifiers]] in the egg yolks, but butter itself contains enough emulsifiers&mdash;mostly remnants of the fat globule membranes&mdash;to form a stable emulsion on its own. ''[[Beurre blanc]]'' (white butter) is made by whisking butter into reduced vinegar or [[wine]], forming an emulsion with the texture of thick cream. ''[[Beurre monté]]'' (prepared butter) is melted but still [[emulsion|emulsified]] butter; it lends its name to the practice of "mounting" a sauce with butter: whisking cold butter into any water-based sauce at the end of cooking, giving the sauce a thicker body and a glossy shine&mdash;as well as a buttery taste.<ref>Sauce information from McGee, pp. 36 (''beurre noisette'' and ''beurre noir''), 632 (''beurre blanc'' and ''beurre monté''), and 635&ndash;636 (hollandaise and béarnaise).</ref>

In Poland, the [[butter lamb]] (''Baranek wielkanocny'') is a traditional addition to the Easter Meal for many Polish Catholics. Butter is shaped into a lamb either by hand or in a lamb-shaped mould.

Butter is used for [[sautéing]] and [[frying]], although its milk solids brown and burn above 150&nbsp;°C (250&nbsp;°F)&mdash;a rather low temperature for most applications. The [[smoke point]] of butterfat is around 200&nbsp;°C (400&nbsp;°F), so clarified butter or ghee is better suited to frying.<ref name=McGee_37/> Ghee has always been a common frying medium in India, where many avoid other animal fats for cultural or religious reasons.

[[File:Preparation des brownies etape3.jpg|thumb|left|Mixing melted butter with chocolate to make a [[Chocolate brownie|brownie]]]]
Butter fills several roles in [[baking]], where it is used in a similar manner as other solid fats like [[lard]], [[suet]], or [[shortening]], but has a flavor that may better complement sweet baked goods. Many [[cookie]] [[dough]]s and some [[cake]] [[batter (cooking)|batter]]s are [[leavening agent|leaven]]ed, at least in part, by [[creaming (food)|creaming]] butter and [[sugar]] together, which introduces air bubbles into the butter. The tiny bubbles locked within the butter expand in the heat of baking and aerate the cookie or cake. Some cookies like [[shortbread]] may have no other source of moisture but the water in the butter. [[Pastry|Pastries]] like [[pie]] dough incorporate pieces of solid fat into the dough, which become flat layers of fat when the dough is rolled out. During baking, the fat melts away, leaving a flaky texture. Butter, because of its flavor, is a common choice for the fat in such a dough, but it can be more difficult to work with than shortening because of its low melting point. Pastry makers often chill all their ingredients and utensils while working with a butter dough.

Butter also has many non-culinary, traditional uses which are specific to certain cultures. For instance, in North America, applying butter to the handle of a door is a common prank on [[April Fools' Day]].

==Health and nutrition==

{{nutritionalvalue | name=Butter, unsalted | kJ=2999 | protein=1 g | fat=81 g | carbs=0 g | vitA_ug=684 | vitD_iu= 60 | vitE_mg =  2.32 | satfat=51 g | monofat=21 g | polyfat=3 g | opt1n=[[Cholesterol]] | opt1v=215 mg | right=1 | source_usda=1 | note=Fat percentage can vary.<br/>See also [[Butter#Types|Types of butter]]. }}
According to [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] figures, one [[tablespoon]] of butter ({{convert|14|g|disp=s|1|lk=on}}) contains {{convert|420|kJ|kcal|lk=on}}, all from fat, {{convert|11|g|1}} of fat, of which {{convert|7|g}} are [[saturated fat]], and {{convert|30|mg|lk=on}} of [[cholesterol]].<ref>Data from [http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-A00001-01c0000.html nutritiondata.com]. Retrieved 27 November 2005.</ref>

Butter consists mostly of saturated fat and is a significant source of cholesterol. For these reasons butter is considered by some to be a contributor to health problems, especially [[heart disease]]. Margarine was recommended as a substitute since it is higher in [[unsaturated fat]] and contains little or no cholesterol, but in recent years, it has been shown that the [[trans fat]]s contained in partially [[Hydrogenation|hydrogenated]] oils used in typical margarines significantly raise undesirable [[LDL cholesterol]] levels as well.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071025050832/http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/cholmonth/q_a.htm Q&A about Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, and Cholesterol] from the (U.S.) National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (2005). Retrieved 15 April 2006.</ref> Trans-fat free margarines have since been developed.

Proponents of the consumption of [[Organic food|organic]] butter, such as the nutritionist [[Mary Enig]], state that since butter is nutritious and "is rich in short and medium chain fatty acids," this can have a positive effect on health and prevent disease.<ref name="WhyButterIsBetter">{{cite web
|url = http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/519-why-butter-is-better.html
|title = Why Butter Is Better
|accessdate = 2009-10-23
|work = Does butter cause disease? On the contrary, butter protects us against many diseases
|publisher = The Weston A. Price Foundation
}} "Why Butter is Better" first appeared in Health Freedom News, 1999 Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.</ref>

Butter contains only traces of [[lactose]], so moderate consumption of butter is not a problem for the [[lactose intolerant]].<ref>From data [http://www.gastro.net.au/diets/lactose.html here], one [[teaspoon]] of butter contains 0.03&nbsp;grams of lactose; a cup of milk contains 400 times that amount.</ref> People with [[milk allergy|milk allergies]] need to avoid butter, which contains enough of the allergy-causing proteins to cause reactions.<ref>Allergy Society of South Africa. [http://www.allergysa.org/milk.htm Milk Allergy & Intolerance]. Retrieved 27 November 2005.</ref>

Butter can form a useful role in dieting by providing [[satiety]]. A small amount added to low fat foods such as vegetables may stave off feelings of hunger.<ref name="WhyButterIsBetter" />

{{comparison of cooking fats}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
<div class="references-small">
*{{Cite book | author=McGee, Harold | title=On Food and Cooking (Revised Edition) | publisher=Scribner | year=2004 | isbn=0-684-80001-2}}  pp 33–39, "Butter and Margarine"
*Dalby, Andrew (2003). [http://print.google.com/print?id=FtIXAe2qYDgC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=ancient+butter&prev=http://print.google.com/print%3Fq%3Dancient%2Bbutter&sig=v4KcVHbXcBCMmULupU9KFzYnlXg&pli=1&auth=DQAAAHAAAACYAYxkiTnWQ0KAe-pRGBmICRGf4VimZixegL-rO7AefEADSeL6thpbja9LWlwSM4q-WeiSoMP5lcSgYFwL-K2PlkuXV0nBolXoV0JwLiCVBmvIGHwc6C07ulnlPccx95CDDkDvA1Wa9WBClyLkoEFf Food in the Ancient World from A to Z], 65. Google Print. ISBN 0-415-23259-7 (accessed November 16, 2005). Also available in print from Routledge (UK).
*Michael Douma (editor). [http://webexhibits.org/butter WebExhibits' Butter pages]. Retrieved November 21, 2005.
*{{Cite book | author=Crawford, R.J.M. ''et al.'' | title=The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries | publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | year=1990 | isbn=92-5-102899-0}} [http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0251e/T0251E00.htm Full text online]
*Grigg, David B. (November 7, 1974). [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=16-ejysyRCgC&dq=butter+laval&prev=http://books.google.com/books%3Fq%3Dbutter%2Blaval&lpg=PA196&pg=PA196&sig=FMjjtQ1Ex4GVeE4TE1rZpl2ESlw The Agricultural Systems of the World: An Evolutionary Approach], 196–198. Google Print. ISBN 0-521-09843-2 (accessed November 28, 2005). Also available in print from Cambridge University Press.
</div>

==External links==
{{Commons category|Butter}}
{{cookbook}}
{{Wiktionary}}
*[http://www.milkingredients.ca/dcp/article_e.asp?catid=145&page=216 Composition and characteristics of butter, The Canadian Dairy Commission]
*[http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/butter.html Manufacture of butter, The University of Guelph]
* [http://food.oregonstate.edu/l/butter.html "Butter"], ''Food Resource, College of Health and Human Sciences, [[Oregon State University]]'', February 20, 2007. – FAQ, links, and extensive bibliography of [[food science]] articles on butter.
*[http://www.corkbutter.museum Cork Butter Museum: the story of Ireland’s most important food export and the world’s largest butter market]

{{Butter}}
{{fatsandoils}}
{{Vegetarianism}}

[[Category:Butter|*]]
[[Category:Greek loanwords]]
[[Category:Dairy products]]
[[Category:Cooking fats]]
[[Category:Colloids]]

{{Link FA|he}}

[[als:Butter]]
[[ar:زبدة]]
[[ast:Mantega]]
[[bn:মাখন]]
[[br:Amanenn]]
[[bg:Краве масло]]
[[ca:Mantega]]
[[cs:Máslo]]
[[cy:Menyn]]
[[da:Smør]]
[[de:Butter]]
[[et:Või]]
[[es:Mantequilla]]
[[eo:Butero]]
[[eu:Gurin]]
[[fa:کره (لبنیات)]]
[[fr:Beurre]]
[[fy:Bûter]]
[[ga:Im]]
[[gl:Manteiga]]
[[ko:버터]]
[[hi:मक्खन]]
[[hr:Maslac]]
[[io:Butro]]
[[id:Mentega]]
[[is:Smjör]]
[[it:Burro]]
[[he:חמאה]]
[[kn:ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ (Butter)]]
[[ka:კარაქი]]
[[ht:Bè]]
[[ku:Nivîşk]]
[[la:Butyrum]]
[[lv:Sviests]]
[[lb:Botter]]
[[lt:Sviestas]]
[[lmo:Butter]]
[[hu:Vaj]]
[[ml:വെണ്ണ]]
[[mr:लोणी]]
[[ms:Mentega]]
[[nl:Boter (zuivel)]]
[[nds-nl:Botter]]
[[ja:バター]]
[[no:Smør]]
[[nn:Smør]]
[[oc:Burre]]
[[nds:Botter]]
[[pl:Masło]]
[[pt:Manteiga]]
[[ro:Unt]]
[[qu:Mantikilla]]
[[ru:Сливочное масло]]
[[scn:Butirru]]
[[simple:Butter]]
[[sk:Maslo]]
[[sl:Maslo]]
[[sh:Maslac]]
[[fi:Voi]]
[[sv:Smör]]
[[ta:வெண்ணெய்]]
[[tt:Atlan may]]
[[te:వెన్న]]
[[th:เนย]]
[[tg:Равғани зард]]
[[chr:ᎪᏢᏅ]]
[[tr:Tereyağı]]
[[uk:Масло вершкове]]
[[vec:Butiro]]
[[vi:Bơ]]
[[vls:Beuter]]
[[wuu:白脱]]
[[yi:פוטער]]
[[zh-yue:牛油]]
[[zh:黄油]]
[[Category:2Fix]]