Butter has been around for quite some time-in fact, since before 3500 B.C. It is believed to have originated with nomadic people (like the Mongolians) on the Euro-Asiatic plains. They churned cream in a leather flask as they moved their goat herds to greener pastures. The Celts and Vikings adored butter and always made it a point to settle where green pastures for their cattle abounded.
Butter is made from cream, which comes from animals like cows and goats. When shaken or churned continuously, the cream turns into a solid mass. Try it. Put some whipping cream in a jar and shake it fiercely until it turns solid. You'll soon have your very own butter. But-cream is white, so how does butter get its yellow color? The butter that you buy in stores today is dyed with beta-carotene, the natural chemical in carrots that makes them orange.
This Butter recipe is from the Food Facts and History Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
