BUTTER and FAT

A fatty substance obtained from churned cream, containing at least 80% fat, 2%
milk solids, and not more than 16% water. It is washed and blended to make it
smooth. BUTTER hardens at low temperatures and melts when heated. The color
varies from creamy white to golden yellow; according to the diet of the dairy cows
(pasture rich in CAROTENE gives the yellow color).
THE HISTORY of BUTTER
BUTTER was known in ancient times and was introduced to the Greeks by the
Scyhtians. Herodutus, quoted by Montesquieu, spoke of Scyhians who pocked out
the eyes of their slaves so that nothing would distract them from churning their
milk. The Greek and Romans, however, used the it mainly as a remedy (particularly
for healing wounds) and relied almost entirely on oil for cooking purposes. BUTTER
was produced by Gauls, but it was the Normans, using knowledge acquired from the
Danes, who firmly established the reputation of this product in their own country. By
the Middle Ages, the small-scale local production of BUTTER had become
widespread. Large pats of BUTTER, sometimes wrapped in leaves of SORREL or
herbs, were sold at the markets and stored in earthenware pots covered in salt
water. Coloring (with MARIGOLD flowers) was prohibited, as well selling BUTTER on a
fish stall. BUTTER was not supposed to be eaten during Lent, but a dispensation
could be obtained by making a contribution to the BUTTER CHEST.
BUTTER and DIETETICS
BUTTER is very rich natural food with a high-energy value (750Cal per 100 g, which
is less than oil or lard); it is SATURED FAT containing vitamins A and D, CALCIUM,
and PHOSPHORUS (lighter BUTTERS are now on the market with 25% fat content). It
decomposes at 120-130c releasing acrolein, an indigestible toxic substance which
increases the cholesterol content. For healthy diet, the recommended intake is 15-
30 g per day.
ALTERNATIVE BUTTER
In Europe, BUTTER is made exclusively from cows milk, but in Africa and Asia the
milk of the BUFFALO, CAMEL, GOAT, EWE, MARE, and DONKEY is used to manufacture
BUTTERS with a very strong flavor.
The food industry has produced various BUTTER substitutes. The best known of
these is MARGARINE, but various other spreading products are available, many of
which have a lower calorific value than BUTTER and MARGARINE.
BUTTER MANUFACTURE in FRANCE
The milk is skimmed, and then the cream is pasteurized and placed in a maturation
tank with selected yeasts (these give the butter its aroma). The cream is then
churned so that globules of fat form and the BUTTERMILK are eliminated. The
BUTTER is then washed and blended. Traditionally, the various stages of
manufacture are performed in separate machines, but the whole process may be
performed continuously in a butyrator. Various additives are permitted: antioxidant
(ascorbic acid), deoxidize (bicarbonate of soda), salt (sodium chloride), and coloring
agents (raucous or carotene). At room temperature, good BUTTER should not be
brittle, lumpy, or sticky and should not sweat droplets of water; it should have a
faintly fresh aromatic scent and a delicate nutty flavor.
BUTTER is usually packaged in 500-g, 250-g, or 125-g rolls or slabs and in
individual portion of 7-30. It is wrapped in greaseproof or foil-lined paper or sealed
in wax-coated cardboard pots or plastic boxes. BUTTER can also be sold in cans,
mainly in tropical regions.
It is very easy to keep BUTTER fresh in the refrigerator: the BUTTER is placed is a
special compartment or airtight BUTTER dish because it readily absorbs odors. If a
refrigerator is not available, special earthenware BUTTER container filled with salt
water is necessary, especially in warmer climates. If left to expose to the light and
air it will oxidize and become rancid. Salted BUTTER keeps longer as the salt acts as
a preservative.
BUTTER CONTINUE

LABELS
There are two main types of BUTTER to choose from: sweet cream and lactic
butter. The SWEET CREAM varieties, which are most common, are manufactured
using pasteurized CREAM to which salt is added to give a longer shelf life. They have
a mild and delicate flavor and keep well in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.
LACTIC BUTTER is made from CREAM that has been allowed to ripen under special
conditions, giving the butter its distinctive full flavor and smooth texture. This type
of BUTTER is traditionally made in the Netherlands and Denmark and exported
worldwide.
CLARIFIED BUTTER
Pure BUTTER fat without any solids, liquid or foam. It should be transparent when
molten. Butterfat that has been separated from its water and milk keeps about
three times longer, does not burn in sauting, and has a pure clear flavor. Cut
unsalted butter into small pieces and melt over low heat without stirring and
without allowing the butter to sizzle, and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain
the mixture well and let the clear yellow liquid cool before covering. When chilled,
CLARIFIED BUTTER becomes grainy. It should not be used as a spread but only in
cooking.
COUNPOND BUTTER - (FLAVOURED BUTTER)
Butter flavored by pounding it with herbs, shell, spices, etc., then sieving out any
inedible or unwanted bits. Usually written as BEURRE followed by the name of the
flavoring e.g. BEURRE dAMANDE, BEURRE de PAPRIKA. All are listed under BEURRE
and/or English name of the flavoring.
CULTURED BUTTER
The same bacteria that give buttermilk its velvety thickness and tang are added to
the cream for this BUTTER, The culture, Lactic Acid, causes the cream to ferment
just enough to give it a faint elusive tartness.
CONCENTRATED - or (COOKING) BUTTER-
Ordinary BUTTER with the water, salt and nonfat milk solids extracted from it;
contains 96% butterfat. It has a firm texture and- due to the low moisture content
is excellent for shallow frying and sauting, as it does not decompose at high
temperatures. It is used mainly for baking but recipes may have to be adapted by
slightly increasing the liquid and salt content. Covered it keeps well in the
refrigerator for up to six months and freezes well for long period.
DAIRY BUTTER
Pasteurized BUTTER whose taste is not considered pure enough to deserve Ministry
of Agriculture approval; called table butter or cooking butter (these name have
no legal value), it does not keep as well as pasteurized butter.
EEC BUTTER
Dairy BUTTER purchased by the Government during periods of overproduction,
deep-frozen for not more than one year, and placed on the market in periods of high
demand at prices lower than that of cheapest butter. It does not keep for more than
one week.
FARMHOUSE BUTTER
Prepared in the area of origin under strict conditions of hygiene, it is delicious but
uncommon. It can be kept for a week in the refrigerator or it may be frozen, well
wrapped, for up to three months.
GHEE
Clarified fat, commonly used in Indian cooking. An ancient food, it is mentioned in
the Purna, a collection of legends, religious precepts, and rules for practical living,
in which the human body is represented in the form of circles associated with
primordial foods: palm sugar, wine, ghee, milk yoghurt, and water. The best GHEE is
made of butter from buffaloes milk (twice as rich in fat as cows milk). It is used as
an ingredient in ptisserie, as a cooking fat, to season dry vegetable pure, rice,
etc. Among poorer people GHEE is made of sesame oil or mustard. In Nepal it is
made of YALKS milk.

IMPORTED BUTTER
Imported from Denmark or the Netherlands, this BUTTER is of uniform quality and
often whiter than ordinary butter (the country of origin must be shown).

LACTIC BUTTER-
BUTTER made from a cream treated with Lactobacillus sop. To give it a slightly sour
flavor.
LIGHT BUTTER
In accordance with labeling restriction, LIGHT or LITE BUTTER has 50% less fat as
compared with a standard serving of traditional BUTTER. Because of the high water
content, LIGHT BUTTER is inappropriate for cooking and baking and is useful only as
a spread.
PASTEURIZED BUTTER
Factory-produced and officially monitored, it has a fresh uniform taste (the milk is
recaptured with commercial fermenting agents); the labels fine or superfine have
no legal value. Pasteurized BUTTER will keep for up to one month in the refrigerator.
REGIONAL BUTTER
Produced solely in its region using cream from the local dairy cows. Each regions
BUTTER has its own distinctive flavor, texture, and color due to the quality of the
pastures.
RESTORED BUTTER
Produced from poor quality cream, reblended with bicarbonate of soda for
deacidification; rare on the general market.
SALTED BUTTER
Contains 1.5-2 g salt per 100 g butter. It enhances the taste and textured of foods
when used for cooking and R. Oliver, talking about Echoer salted butter, considers
that salt develops subtle and appreciable aromas in the whey of the butter.
SWEET BUTTER
Prepared using cream with low acidity; fragile and still uncommon on the open
market, it is fine and delicate but does not keep well.
WHIPPED BUTTER
The butter is whipped while nitrogen is injected, usually 60% of the total volume
one cup whipped butter weighs two-third as much as one cup traditional butter. The
fat content is still 80% by weight.
YAK BUTTER- (TIBET)
A very strong-smelling BUTTER made from Yak milk and invariably used in Tibetan
tea. The Tibetans use yaks milk also to make small very hard cube-shape cheeses
and butter, which is eaten when rancid.
 OTHER FATS
DRIPPING
Fat that has separated from MEAT during cooking. It has to be strained or clarified.
LARD
A cooking fat obtained by melting down PORK fat. LARD is a fine white fat, which is
not used as much these days as formerly because of its high animal-fat content. It is
used particularly for slow cooking, but also for deep-fraying (it has a high smoking
point) and for making PASTRY. It has a fairly pronounced flavor, which is associated
traditionally with dishes from the north and east France, and Italy. It is used in the
cookery of Alsace, Brittany, Scandinavia, and Hungary, for RAGOUTS and dishes
featuring CABBAGE, ONION, and PORK, and also in specialties of the Auvergne
region. LARD is also used a great deal in China and Italy.
FAT (CORPUS GRAS, GRAISSE, MATIRE GRAS)
LIPID substances containing glycerol and FATTY ACIDS. FATS are solid at lower
temperatures; oils, however, are liquid at room temperature, due to their higher
content of unsaturated FATTY ACIDS, FATS and oils do not dissolve in water, but they
may be emulsified with water (for example in MARGARINE and BUTTER making).
Foods contains FATS usually have a small amount of fat-soluble substances,
including vitamin A (retinal), D (containing varying amounts of cholesterol), and E,
as well as flavor components.
There are basically two types of FATS: SATURATED FATS (or SATURATES) and
UNSATURATED FATS (these include POLYUNSATURATED FATS or POLYUNSATURATES).
Saturated fats are found in dairy products (butter, milk, cheese etc.), animal fats
(lard, pork fat, suet, etc.), cakes, biscuits and hardened MARGARINE. They are also
found in vegetable fats like coconut oil and palm oil. On food labels they may be
listed in the ingredients as hydrogenated vegetable fat/oil. Unsaturated fats are
found in vegetable oils (such as sunflower, corn, or Soya oils), spreads and
margarines (which are high in Polyunsaturates), nuts and oil y fish, such as herring
and mackerel. Fats are widely used for cooking and preparing food: frying, baking,
roasting, and pastry-making, as well as preparing liaisons and emulsions.
FATTY ACIDS
The basic element of LIPIDS, which are mainly triglyceridis, composed of one
molecule of glycerol and three FATTY ACIDS. There are about 20 common FATTY
ACIDS, distinguishable by the degree to which they will bond with each other. They
may be SATURATED (when no bonding is possible) or MONOUNSATURATED, and
several double bondings for the POLYUSATURATES). Of the polyunsaturated fatty
acids some, such as linoleic acid, are essential, as the body cannot synthesize them.
They play an important part in growth, cellular structures, and the maintenance of a
good skin. The body can make the best use of dietary lipids if they represent a
sensible combination of the three types of fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids are to
be found mainly in meat and pork products, cheese, butter, and animal fats;
monounsaturates in olive and peanut oil; polyunsatuates in oil made from corn,
sunflower seeds, and grape pips, as well as Soya (soy) beans and rapeseed.
LIPIDS
The scientific term for a group of substances that include the natural fats and oils
(simple lipids), as well as the sterols, phospholipids, and glycolipids (compound
lipids). Lipids are the principal source of energy provided by food, yielding 9.3 Cal
per gram. They are also important as one of the forms in which the body can store
energy, but excessive fat reserves lead to weight problems. Lipids are also essential
for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and they cannot by
synthesize naturally in the body. The lipids in our bodies, like those in food, are
made up basically of triglycerides (a triglycerides consists of one glycerol
moleculecombined with three fatty acids). Food containing a high proportion of
lipids includes cooking oils and fats, dairy products, and nuts. An excessively high
consumption of those foods (both in quantity and in proportion of other food
constituents) should be avoided.

MARGARINE
A fat invented in 1869 by French chemist Henry Mge-Mouris. It was based on beef
fat and skimmed milk and was sold commercially from 1872. Various attempts were
made to use other fats. A new process was discovered in Germany to raise the
melting point of vegetable fats and also to prevent them from going rancid; this
helped to make MARGARINE more popular. Today MARGARINE is any food substance
that resembles BUTTER and can be used in the same way. By low, MARGARINE
contains 80% fat and no more than 16% water, the same proportions as in BUTTER.
Margarine may be made with single oil, or a blend of a number of oils, including
animal fats, such as herring, anchovy, and pilchard, and vegetable oils from sources
like Soya (soy) bean, sunflower, palm, rapeseed, safflower, and corn. A number of
vegetable oils used in making Margarine sunflower, safflower, and Soya, for
example are high in Polyunsaturated fats and a Margarine made entirely from one
of these may be selected by people following a low-cholesterol diet. Flavoring,
coloring, emulsifiers, and whey are added; vitamins A and D are
added to table Margarine in the UK, although a variable quantity of salt is added
and this acts as a natural preservative.
A distinction is made between Margarine used for baking and cooking, those used
for spreading, and those specially made for the catering profession. Hard
Margarines, usually employed in cooking and baking, are sold in rectangular
packets. They contain mixed animal and fish, fish and vegetable oils, or vegetable
oils only and can be used for all kinds of cooking except deep-frying. They are
particularly suitable for baking, roasting, braising, frying, and making roux.
Spreading margarines are soft and sold in tubs. They often consist of vegetable oils
only and are manufactured to resemble BUTTER as closely as possible as regards
texture and taste. They may be eaten on bread, toast, etc., and used in home baking
and can be used instead of butter in compound butters, on vegetables and grilled
(broiled) meat, in pures, and with noodles and rice. The margarines used in
catering differ both in their consistency and their melting point, depending on their
subsequent use: making puff pastry, raised doughs, croissant pastry, cake mixtures,
or cream filling.
Once thought to be healthier than butter due to its lower proportion of SATURED
FAT. Unfortunately the chemical process produce fats which do not occurs in nature
(transacts opposed to cist-forms) which, although they do appear in butter at lower
concentration, may be deleterious to health is some as yet unknown way.
OTHER ANIMAL FATS
Fats from Turkey, Chicken, Ducks, and Geese tend to be more healthful than Pork
Lard but are firmer and blander. Beef and Lamb fat are also used, but their taste can
overpower milder foods, and they are generally used only for cooking Beef or Lamb.
Rendering is the process of extracting and purifying fat from animal products and
can easily be done at home. Being by trimming off all fat from the meat and cutting
it into small pieces. Do not worry if there are a few bits of skin or meat attached-
these can be strained after Rendering. The two methods for Rendering DRY and
WET, produce slightly different results. WET-RENDERED fat is pure and bland tasting,
and a darker color. DRY-RENDERED fat will also smoke or burn at lower temperature.
Dry rendering occurs any time we fry bacon or saut ground meat. The fat appears
in the pan as the meat cooks may be collected and used as a cooking fat. Typically,
dry rendering is the first step of many meat soups and stews: toss a few bits of fatty
bacon, beef trimmings, or chicken fat into a pot, heat it until the fat melts, and then
proceed to add the other ingredients. Dry Rendering may also be done in moderate
(350F) oven. Wet Rendering is generally reserved for accumulating a large amount
of fat to be used at a later time. The trimmed fat is placed in a pot of water and
brought to a gentle boil until all the fat melts. Then, as the liquid cools, the pure fat
rises to the top, to be easily crapes off and used as cooking fat. In parts of France,
Rendered animal fat is sometimes flavored with garlic or sweet spices. Generally,
store-bought Lard in this country (USA) has been WER RENDERED and is flavorless,
useful only in contributing texture to a dish. All animal fats should be stored in
cover containers in the refrigerator.

SATURATED FAT
Hard fats in which all carbon atoms are attached to the maximum number of other
atoms, usually two carbon and two hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated soft fats and oils
are converted to harder fats by hydrogenation, a process which can produce the
TRANS FATTY ACIDS which some suspect to be Harmful for pregnant and nursing
mothers. Saturated fats are said to be unhealthy but fashions in heath change from
time to time. Small amounts of natural Saturated fat (SUET, LARD, BUTTER, etc.) are
probably beneficiary.
SHORTENINGS:
All fats have the ability to shorten gluten strands to give baked foods a more
tender structure. Commercially produced SHORTENINGS are white, tasteless fats
(unless real or artificial butter flavor and yellow color have been added) that are
solid at room temperature. Designed for baking, they are processed from animal
fats or refined and hydrogenated vegetable oils and whipped with air. Emulsified
SHRORTNENING has an emulsified added to help the mixing when a great deal of
sugar is involved.
SUET
The fat surrounding the kidney of beef or sheep, it is skinned and cleaned and sold
fresh for gratin or already shredded and packed. It is used for steaming puddings