Butter

It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment, and used as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures.

The word butter derives (via Germanic languages) from the Latin butyrum,[5] which is the latinisation of the Greek βούτυρον (bouturon)[6][7] and βούτυρος.

These globules are surrounded by membranes made of phospholipids (fatty acid emulsifiers) and proteins, which prevent the fat in milk from pooling together into a single mass.

[citation needed] Churning produces small butter grains floating in the water-based portion of the cream.

This consolidates the butter into a solid mass and breaks up embedded pockets of buttermilk or water into tiny droplets.

During fermentation, the cream naturally sours as bacteria convert 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.

[citation needed] Milk that is to be made into butter is usually pasteurized during production to kill pathogenic bacteria and other microbes.

Commercial raw milk products are not legal to sell through interstate commerce in the United States[26] and are very rare in Europe.

[citation needed] Clarified butter has almost all of its water and milk solids removed, leaving almost-pure butterfat.

[20]: 37 Ghee is clarified butter that has been heated to around 120 °C (250 °F) after the water evaporated, turning the milk solids brown.

Whey cream and butter have a lower fat content and taste more salty, tangy and "cheesy".

[34][35] In the Mediterranean climate, unclarified butter spoils quickly, unlike cheese, so it is not a practical method of preserving the nutrients of milk.

[36] In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder calls butter "the most delicate of food among barbarous nations" and goes on to describe its medicinal properties.

[39] After the fall of Rome and through much of the Middle Ages, butter was a common food across most of Europe—but had a low reputation, and so was consumed principally by peasants.

Butter slowly became more accepted by the upper class, notably when the Roman Catholic Church allowed its consumption during Lent from the early 16th century.

In the late 1870s, the centrifugal cream separator was introduced, marketed most successfully by Swedish engineer Carl Gustaf Patrik de Laval.

As part of the efforts of the American Dairy Science Association, Hunziker and others published articles regarding: causes of tallowiness[45] (an odor defect, distinct from rancidity, a taste defect); mottles[46] (an aesthetic issue related to uneven color); introduced salts;[47] the impact of creamery metals[48] and liquids;[49] and acidity measurement.

Butter consumption declined in most western nations during the 20th century, mainly because of the rising popularity of margarine, which is less expensive and, until recent years, was perceived as being healthier.

New Zealand, Australia, Denmark and Ukraine are among the few nations that export a significant percentage of the butter they produce.

A similar product is maltash of the Hunza Valley, where cow and yak butter can be buried for decades, and is used at events such as weddings.

Until recently, many refrigerators sold in New Zealand featured a "butter conditioner", a compartment kept warmer than the rest of the refrigerator—but still cooler than room temperature—with a small heater.

[58] 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.

This practice is believed to have originated in 1907, when Swift and Company began packaging butter in this manner for mass distribution.

Hollandaise and béarnaise sauces are stabilized with the powerful emulsifiers in the egg yolks, but butter itself contains enough emulsifiers—mostly remnants of the fat globule membranes—to form a stable emulsion on its own.

[20]: 632 Butter is used for sautéing and frying, although its milk solids brown and burn above 150 °C (250 °F)—a rather low temperature for most applications.

It is used in a similar manner to other solid fats like lard, suet, or shortening, but has a flavor that may better complement sweet baked goods.

[citation needed] Butter (salted during manufacturing) is 16% water, 81% fat, and 1% protein, with negligible carbohydrates (provided from table source as 100 g).

The study states that "findings do not support a need for major emphasis in dietary guidelines on either increasing or decreasing butter consumption.