The high amounts of milk fats found in the pottery suggest that people ate butter, cheese and yogurt, rather than consuming raw milk.
Many believe that ancient nomadic people first discovered the miracle of butter. It is thought that while traveling long distances, nomads would attach sacks containing milk to their pack animals and the cream was eventually churned into butter. A Sumerian tablet from ancient Mesopotamia that dates back to 2, BCE illustrates rudimentary dairy production. The tablet depicts the milking of cows, and consequently, the making of butter. The discovery of butter-making had a major impact on the development of human culture.
Dairy production provided a year-round source of nourishment for people. Without it, our world would be a very different place. Butter rose to prominence in the Middle Ages, when it became a commonly-used product throughout northern Europe.
The milky byproduct of sweet cream butter is bland and not tangy, somewhat like skim milk, but without the protein content. If using a stand mixer, fit it with the whisk attachment. It's important when churning with a closed container, such as a jar, classic paddle churn, or food processor, that you leave as much headspace for air as you have volume of cream. The air is essential for getting the cream to whip its way to becoming butter.
Continue agitating the cream so it thickens further and then changes color from off-white to pale yellow; this will take at least 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your equipment. When it starts to look pebbly, it's almost butter. If using a stand mixer, you want to stop beating and drape a tent of plastic wrap over the bowl to enclose the whisk and top of the bowl so the ensuing liquid won't splash out.
Transfer the mixture to a fine-mesh strainer and drain off the liquid. Rinse the mass of butter curds with cold water briefly to harden them a bit and chase off any milky residue. The traditional way to work butter is with small wooden paddles, known as butterhands.
Not many folks have butterhands these days though you can get them online , so there are other ways to work butter. It's best to avoid using your bare hands since your warm touch can spoil the texture of the butter, causing it to melt in spots. Instead, wrap the butter mass in a clean damp muslin cloth, or a few layers of cheesecloth, and then knead it with your hands inside a large bowl or on a cool, clean surface, such as marble.
The cloth will absorb the excess moisture and be a barrier for your hands. Alternatively, if you're using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment — on the lowest speed — to mix the mass of butter, draining the excess liquid that seeps out. One caveat: Don't knead the butter on a used wooden cutting board or surface, which generally has some lingering food odors. The butter will pick them up like a magnet. A little salt goes a long way in butter, so add it carefully, tasting it as you blend.
But it's your butter, so add as much or little salt as you like! The first reference to butter in our written history was found on a 4,year-old limestone tablet illustrating how butter was made. It is made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. Butter consists of butterfat , milk proteins and water.
This is your best bet for cooking and baking. For many recipes, it is recommended that you bring the butter to room temperature first so that it better incorporates with other ingredients. The exception is pie crust, for which cold butter is a must. The principles of butter making are the same as they have been for hundreds of years. However, industrial processes enable us to produce and transport much more butter than would have been the case in centuries gone by.
Doing this also increases the lifespan of the butter too. Discover our full range of butters including salted and unsalted, spreadable and regular. Skip to main content.
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