The rich, creamy path of butter and milk.

Throughout the long and rich history of European cuisine, butter has been a classic, versatile ingredient with a subtly delicious flavor. But few people know that animal butter and vegetable margarine once engaged in a cultural battle in the market and media.

How did animal butter once "fail"?

Butter was once a vital food item in the diets of everyone, from children to adults, the elderly, and even soldiers. During World War II, butter shortages became common because the farms where cows, goats, and buffaloes raised to produce milk—the main ingredient of butter—were heavily damaged by bombs and shelling.

Alongside animal butter, there was another food called "margarine," meaning vegetable butter, made from hydrated oils and flavorings that mimicked the rich, creamy taste of butter. As the war intensified, margarine companies seized the opportunity to introduce their products as a replacement for animal butter in the diets of the time. In 1950, an advertisement for Durkee's margarine, sold at 25 cents per bar, appeared in the Menominee Herald-Leader, marking the beginning of the margarine industry.

The Anuta Research Center in the US conducted studies supporting margarine, paving the way for its widespread availability on store shelves. However, they likely didn't anticipate the ambitions of margarine manufacturers. These companies not only wanted to temporarily replace animal butter but also wanted to completely change people's eating habits through massive advertising campaigns highlighting the harmful effects of animal butter, such as increased blood cholesterol and heart attacks, and immediately introducing a "safer" product. The history of the margarine industry is relatively short but incredibly successful. After its invention in 1869, margarine took less than 100 years to become a ubiquitous product in supermarkets and traditional markets.

A fierce post-war battle erupted between margarine companies and humble farmers. The emergence of a new type of butter threatened the jobs of thousands of farmers, casting a gloomy shadow over fertile fields and extinguishing the lights in artisanal butter factories that had once operated at full capacity.

In 1968, Unilever launched a new brand called Flora with the slogans "lighter" and "healthier," aiming to appeal to post-war consumers who were increasingly health-conscious. Margarine, originally a cheap food for the poor, was now coated in a glossy, eye-catching glaze thanks to aggressive advertising campaigns. Many margarine manufacturers deliberately claimed that the unsaturated fats in margarine reduced health risks. Unilever even boldly advertised its plant-based fat products as beneficial for cardiovascular health.

Recognizing the lurking danger, the government implemented policies to help farmers regain their voice. In fact, even before World War II, some US states banned margarine due to concerns about its nutritional value. Many also required margarine manufacturers not to intentionally dye the butter yellow to deceive consumers. However, it wasn't until long after World War II that consumers, the government, and farmers alike gained a clearer understanding of the widespread "margarine phenomenon" on the market.

Butter in modern life

After a series of ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks, animal butter now holds an irreplaceable position in the baking and cooking industries. Consumers have also become more discerning, knowing exactly which product is suitable for each dish. While saturated fats in dairy products may cause some weight and cardiovascular problems, the deliciousness and irresistible appeal of dishes made with butter are undeniable.

In 2014, the Harvard Public Health Center's website featured essays on reconsidering the importance of animal butter. One viewpoint that garnered significant support from scholars and professionals was: "We all need to shift our general nutritional thinking toward recommendations based on food, rather than nutrient."

The truth is, not all fats are bad. The overemphasis on eliminating “fat” from our diets has led to healthy fats being replaced by sugar and other simple carbohydrate foods, which can be detrimental to health.

With modern lifestyles shifting back to nature, people are now seeking out handcrafted animal butter, meticulously made by farmers, instead of the bland, uniformly square vegetable butter produced in factories. Animal butter typically has a pale yellow or off-white color depending on the season. If the soil is fertile and sunny, the butter will be yellowish, and vice versa, unlike the uniformly bright yellow from food coloring found in industrially produced butter. Everyone believes that handcrafted butter tastes better and is healthier than regular butter. These irregularly shaped, sometimes slightly unevenly cut, butter bars, wrapped in thin layers of paper, are a best-seller on the shelves.

The journey of avocado slices

Butter has been discovered and used since very early times. No one knows exactly when butter was first produced, but many researchers believe it appeared around 8000 BC in Mesopotamia.

Before the 19th century, butter was produced from whey. The image of European girls in long dresses vigorously stirring butter in a jar became an endless source of inspiration in painting. The act of stirring butter, called "churning," required considerable strength because the more you stir, the thicker and heavier the butter becomes until it forms a fairly solid mass. The harder the butter, the higher the quality; softer butters were often mixed with oil and water to reduce production costs.

Starting in 1879, the technology for separating fat (cream) became widely used, simplifying and modernizing the butter-making process.

Not only found in Europe, but in fact, some regions like Mongolia, India, and areas with vast grasslands also have products recognized as animal butter. However, instead of being made from cow's milk like most European farmers do, these places utilize milk from animals such as goats, bison, and buffalo. Butter and cheese made from bison milk are considered a "homegrown" specialty of Tibet.

Setting aside a brief glimpse into a food item of immense importance to the cultures of many countries around the world, Travellive hopes that through this article, readers can gain more perspectives on a familiar, small product that nonetheless has a profound and powerful influence.

Ha Chuu