5 ms·

> Many European butters are also cultured (meaning they’re made with added live cultures, resulting in a lactic flavor), which can further enhance the tanginess

> Many European butters are also cultured (meaning they’re made with added live cultures, resulting in a lactic flavor), which can further enhance the tanginess. I'm surprised culturing is reduced to a single throwaway line, since it makes a huge difference in flavor: some of the heavily cultured butter brands out there are closer to cheese. If you're ever in Australia, try Pepe Saya on fresh sourdough!

Svip 3y ago
Indeed. The butter I buy here in Denmark is also 80% fat, and it tastes nothing like the blandness of US butter. Speaking personally, though, I definitely prefer Danish butter to French butter, but French butter is still really good.
- thomasahle 3y ago
  Are you sure? Lurpak butter has 82% which is what the article says is the minimum/standard in the EU.
- detritus 3y ago
  As an aside, I've (UK) pretty much only ever eaten Lurpak for the last 40+ years and recently had an 'argument' with a Continental friend who vilified salted butter, which I just couldn't get my head around as I find unsalted butters tedious. Until, that is, I tried 'going fancy' and buying some expensive French salted butter and realised what he meant. Good Lord, that stuff was salty! I now appreciate that Lurpak is marked as 'lightly salted', which makes all the difference. Thank you for a lifetime's dutiful service, Danish Milk Cooperative :)
pjmorris 3y ago
> If you're ever in Australia, try Pepe Saya on fresh sourdough! As it happens, I will be in Australia for a bit next month. This is the kind of intelligence I find invaluable. One thing I like doing as a tourist is going to grocery stores to see how locals eat. What else should I be looking for? [Insert joke about Foster's here :)]
- elliottkember 3y ago
  Not the OP, but a kiwi, and here are mine: - Marmite. Not too much, just a light spread. Try it with eggs. - Eta Munchos, spicy tomato flavour (NZ based, but you may find them) - a pie from a bakery - tim tams - whitaker's chocolate - anzac biscuits
  - xavor 3y ago
    Or toast, salted butter, Marmite, and cucumber
  - cjrp 3y ago
    Glad to see the Vegemite heathens haven’t made it to NZ ;)
    - elliottkember 3y ago
      never heard of it
- golemiprague 3y ago
  [dead]
- fukawi2 3y ago
  If you're American, buy some bread while you're here. Ours is much more "bread" and less "sugar cake".
  - mcphage 3y ago
    There are bakeries in the US, you know.
    - bufordtwain 3y ago
      It depends where you live... It's definitely not like England and France where there's usually (always?) a bakery close by.
ssnistfajen 3y ago
The lactic acid tanginess from bacterial cultures is the biggest difference in the taste difference between European and American butter IMO. The 84% vs. 82% fat thing is way too overrated as I've had uncultured butter made in both ratios and they were virtually indistinguiable as spreads.
yieldcrv 3y ago
very true, I’ve been sitting at a cafe in France numerous times, completely confused by what they’ve sat on my table
m-i-l 3y ago
> I'm surprised culturing is reduced to a single throwaway line Yes, as a (lapsed) amateur butter maker, I'd say this is the main difference between European butter and US butter, not the fat content. If you make your own butter with ordinary cream, it'll taste bland like US butter, irrespective of the fat content. You need to add a culture. Not just any culture, which you might get if you leave your cream out of the fridge long enough before starting, but one of the right cultures. Search for "cultured butter" on the interweb for further information. As an aside, my personal view is that making your own butter doesn't provide anywhere near the same return on investment as making your own bread - home made butter takes ages, doesn't really taste that much better, and can cost more money, while home made bread doesn't take that long, and can taste a lot better.
- denton-scratch 3y ago
  > I'd say this is the main difference between European butter and US butter, not the fat content. Brit here; British supermarket butter isn't cultured. Most French butter isn't cultured either. Characterising european butter as cultured butter is misleading.
  - skylurk 3y ago
    [flagged]
- sp0rk 3y ago
  > As an aside, my personal view is that making your own butter doesn't provide anywhere near the same return on investment as making your own bread - home made butter takes ages, doesn't really taste that much better, and can cost more money, while home made bread doesn't take that long, and can taste a lot better. There is a good book called "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" which covers what foods give the best return on time, effort, and money invested.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    It probably depends if you have a good baker near you. (I really don't although some of the local "craft" breads carried by a couple local stores aren't bad.) But philosophically, it makes a lot of sense generally. You're not going to make everything from scratch or near-scratch so it makes sense to focus on the stuff you can't readily buy or which you genuinely enjoy the making process.

Svip 3y ago

Indeed. The butter I buy here in Denmark is also 80% fat, and it tastes nothing like the blandness of US butter. Speaking personally, though, I definitely prefer Danish butter to French butter, but French butter is still really good.

thomasahle 3y ago
Are you sure? Lurpak butter has 82% which is what the article says is the minimum/standard in the EU.
detritus 3y ago
As an aside, I've (UK) pretty much only ever eaten Lurpak for the last 40+ years and recently had an 'argument' with a Continental friend who vilified salted butter, which I just couldn't get my head around as I find unsalted butters tedious. Until, that is, I tried 'going fancy' and buying some expensive French salted butter and realised what he meant. Good Lord, that stuff was salty! I now appreciate that Lurpak is marked as 'lightly salted', which makes all the difference. Thank you for a lifetime's dutiful service, Danish Milk Cooperative :)

pjmorris 3y ago

> If you're ever in Australia, try Pepe Saya on fresh sourdough! As it happens, I will be in Australia for a bit next month. This is the kind of intelligence I find invaluable. One thing I like doing as a tourist is going to grocery stores to see how locals eat. What else should I be looking for? [Insert joke about Foster's here :)]

elliottkember 3y ago
Not the OP, but a kiwi, and here are mine: - Marmite. Not too much, just a light spread. Try it with eggs. - Eta Munchos, spicy tomato flavour (NZ based, but you may find them) - a pie from a bakery - tim tams - whitaker's chocolate - anzac biscuits
- xavor 3y ago
  Or toast, salted butter, Marmite, and cucumber
- cjrp 3y ago
  Glad to see the Vegemite heathens haven’t made it to NZ ;)
  - elliottkember 3y ago
    never heard of it
golemiprague 3y ago
[dead]
fukawi2 3y ago
If you're American, buy some bread while you're here. Ours is much more "bread" and less "sugar cake".
- mcphage 3y ago
  There are bakeries in the US, you know.
  - bufordtwain 3y ago
    It depends where you live... It's definitely not like England and France where there's usually (always?) a bakery close by.

ssnistfajen 3y ago

The lactic acid tanginess from bacterial cultures is the biggest difference in the taste difference between European and American butter IMO. The 84% vs. 82% fat thing is way too overrated as I've had uncultured butter made in both ratios and they were virtually indistinguiable as spreads.

yieldcrv 3y ago

very true, I’ve been sitting at a cafe in France numerous times, completely confused by what they’ve sat on my table

m-i-l 3y ago

> I'm surprised culturing is reduced to a single throwaway line Yes, as a (lapsed) amateur butter maker, I'd say this is the main difference between European butter and US butter, not the fat content. If you make your own butter with ordinary cream, it'll taste bland like US butter, irrespective of the fat content. You need to add a culture. Not just any culture, which you might get if you leave your cream out of the fridge long enough before starting, but one of the right cultures. Search for "cultured butter" on the interweb for further information. As an aside, my personal view is that making your own butter doesn't provide anywhere near the same return on investment as making your own bread - home made butter takes ages, doesn't really taste that much better, and can cost more money, while home made bread doesn't take that long, and can taste a lot better.

denton-scratch 3y ago
> I'd say this is the main difference between European butter and US butter, not the fat content. Brit here; British supermarket butter isn't cultured. Most French butter isn't cultured either. Characterising european butter as cultured butter is misleading.
- skylurk 3y ago
  [flagged]
sp0rk 3y ago
> As an aside, my personal view is that making your own butter doesn't provide anywhere near the same return on investment as making your own bread - home made butter takes ages, doesn't really taste that much better, and can cost more money, while home made bread doesn't take that long, and can taste a lot better. There is a good book called "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" which covers what foods give the best return on time, effort, and money invested.
- ghaff 3y ago
  It probably depends if you have a good baker near you. (I really don't although some of the local "craft" breads carried by a couple local stores aren't bad.) But philosophically, it makes a lot of sense generally. You're not going to make everything from scratch or near-scratch so it makes sense to focus on the stuff you can't readily buy or which you genuinely enjoy the making process.