10 Unbelievable Fun Facts About Butter You Never Knew!

1. Butter: Unexpected Health Hero

Hold on to your butter socks because butter is sliding into the unexpected hero territory: Researchers in the journal Circulation discovered that consuming dairy fat may actually lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 50% and contribute to maintaining a healthy weight over time.
Source => npr.org

2. Ancient Romans' Boo-Boo Balm

Move over, aloe vera: Ancient Romans considered butter the original go-to balm for all their boo-boo needs! In Elaine Khosrova's book, Butter: A Rich History, she reveals that Romans believed in the "curative properties" of butter, applying it to their wounds for healing – although, interestingly, they didn't think to rub it over their skin for cosmetic purposes.
Source => npr.org

Did you know that peanut butter is not just a tasty treat, but also a potential lifesaver? Discover its surprising heart-healthy benefits and how it stands up against its tree nut cousins!

=> Fun Facts about Peanut-Butter

3. Australian Butter for Tibetan Art

When yak's dri butter just won't cut it for your exotic Tibetan butter art needs, there's always a down-under option to save the day: The Gyuto monks in Richmond, California use a special Australian butter that doesn't melt as easily for crafting their intricate and colorful tsepdro butter sculptures, part of the annual Losar, or Tibetan New Year celebration.
Source => yowangdu.com

4. Pre-Cow Butter Origins

Before cows were the cream of the crop: Early butter actually came from the milk of yaks, sheep, and goats, the first tamed animals of our ancestors, with evidence of ancient bog butter dating back to 400 B.C. in Ireland.
Source => npr.org

5. Mysterious Irish Bog Butter

You know the saying "butter makes everything better"? Well, it seems our ancestors really took that to heart, going so far as to hide their precious buttery stash in a place you'd never think to look: Irish peat bogs! No joke: bog butter, preserved for centuries in cold, acidic, oxygen-free conditions, has been discovered buried alongside numerous wooden objects, swords, and ornaments, with over 270 packages recovered to date. The exact reason for this buttery time capsule remains a mystery, but one thing's for sure – the Iron Age certainly knew how to save their butter for a rainy day!
Source => nbcnews.com

6. Butter's Dramatic Comeback

In a plot twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan, butter's dramatic fall from grace and subsequent redemption leaves margarine green with envy: Starting from World War II rationing that dropped butter consumption from an annual 18 pounds per capita to just 4.1 pounds by 1997, recent health revelations surrounding the wholesome qualities of natural butter has it once again making a delectable comeback in artisanal forms, endorsed by esteemed chefs and tickling taste buds worldwide.
Source => butterjournal.com

7. Napoleon & Margarine's Love Story

Before butter had a "smooth" relationship with your toast, it played matchmaker for an emperor and a chemist in a tasty whirlwind affair: Emperor Napoleon III offered a prize for a butter alternative, and French chemist Hippolyte Mege-Mouries, already on the case, whipped up a concoction of suet, animal stomach, and slightly alkaline water to create margarine, which was patented in 1871 and widely produced by 1880 as a cheaper, yet not-quite-as-delicious alternative to butter.
Source => mcgill.ca

8. The Art of Butter Carving

Who needs marble when you have butter to chisel your woes away? In a world where playing with your food is finally condoned, forgotten artists are resurrecting as true butter Michelangelos: Butter carving has made a spectacular comeback with contemporary food artists concocting a feast for both the eyes and stomach – from intricate flora and fauna to revered chair designs and avant-garde food arrangements.
Source => nytimes.com

9. Calendula Petals' Orange Makeover

Butter me up with a splash of orange: Calendula petals, nature's highlighter, were once used by dairy farmers to dye butter a delightful hue of orange, making it more visually delectable. Swooping in like an undercover superhero, these marigold doppelgangers not only blessed the butter with a tan, but also brought along their anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial superpowers, potentially making it last longer too.
Source => store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org

10. Margarine's Black Sheep Days

Once upon a time, butter had a sneaky, black sheep cousin named Margarine: In 1869, the French created margarine from animal fats, but it evolved into a hydrogenated vegetable oil product that American dairy lobbyists deemed illegal in its natural yellow hue; it had to be dyed an unappetizing black before being grudgingly accepted after World War II.
Source => americainwwii.com