What is butter?

Butter is a dairy product made by churning cream. It is the fat from pasteurized cream, milk that has been solidified by churning. Americans may not eat as much butter as most Europeans, but the United States has a a large butter industry that produced over 1.57 billion pounds a year by 2010.

Butter contains 81 percent fat, 16 percent to 18 percent water and other ingredients such as casein, lactose and salt. The salt content varies with the brand.

The yellow color of butter is due to beta-carotene which comes from the plants eaten by the cow. Butter is employed on or in a a variety of other foods, including bread, toast, much, corn, baked goods, sauces and many more.

Butter was discovered in prehistoric to9mes, probably when nomads or herdsmen placed milk into leak-proof bags made from animal skins, and hung the sacks onto their animals and the movement as they travelled then “squeezed” the cream until butter formed.

Butter is graded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA according to its flavor, butterfat content, purity and keeping quality, among other characteristics.
What is butter?