Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-01-31
FIRM AND HOUSEHOLD.
FACTS ABOUT BUTTER HOW IT Is
MADE In THE EAST.

from the Scientific American.
Our Fpgli-h word butter, is derive
fIom ih' Latin Lutyun, while th. Lati
word lie Of exceedingly doubtful origin
but has most probably come from til
Greek language
IL not known positively whether butte
was ever made previous to The Christial
FRA, but n our TRANSLATION Of the Bible
the word butter frequently appears. II
Genesis. chapter xviii verse s. VIC read
And he took butter and the calf which
tie had dressed and set it before them,
etc. Aud in Deuteronomy. chapter
xxxii yer IA. the phrase butter ol
kline" is made use'of. Also in the Book
of Proverbs, chapter xxv, verse 80. we
read, surely the churning of milk
hIinetIh forth butter" The word ap-
pears also in other passages. But in all
ihc:c The words refer TO something of a
fluid nature; whenever the word "but;er'
appears in the Bible it Should read ac-
coriing 10 tie most biblical critics,
thick milk or cream. The original He
brew words metz Mic5 (tran.lated churn-
ing signify to squeeze or press. and
therefore, the latter quotation above
should read. ",he pressing of milk bring
oh I,r,h NIL - a,l ,L
with What follows in the same passage,
and the wringing Of the nose biipgeth
forth blood 90
1t is not until about the birth of
Christ-probably before that we have
any definite mention of butter, as We un-
derstaud the word. But it appears at
this time and indeed for several centuries
thereafter, that it was only used instead
Of oil, as an ointment or as a medicine -.
The ancient Burgundians were accustom-
cd to besmcar their hair with butter, and
the ancient Christians Of Egypt burned
butter in their lamps at their affairs in
stead of oil, a practice also accredited TO
the Abyssinians. Butter use to be al
lowed TO be burned instead Of oil in the
Catholic churches during Christmas time
aud this accounts for the name of "but-
ter tower" which we find at Rouen, in
Notre Dame, and elsewhere. "In 4. d. |
1900, George d'Amboise, Archbishop Of
Rouen, finding the oil foul in his diocese |
during Lent, permitted the use of butter
in the lamps, on condition that each per
son should pay six deniers for the indulg-
ence. with which sum the tower was !
built
1t is very difficult matter to find out
among what nation the practice Of ma
king butter originated. Some writers
affirm that the ancient Scy ythians were ac
quainted with the art 400 years B. c.,
as did also the Indians inhabitants of
India, Plutarch speaks of visit paid
by Lace damoniaD lady, to Berdice,
the wife of Deiotarus, and says that the
one smelled so much of butter and the
other perfume, that neither of them could
endure the other But this must surely
have been bad butter. Pliny says that
the ancient Germans and Britans bar
barians in his time) made butter and
used il as food. and ascribes the inven,
ton to these nations. And it is gener-
ally believed that the Greeks obtained
their knowledge of butter from the Thra
clans or the Scythiaps, and the Romans
from the Germans.
But whether the ancients knew how to
make butter or not, it is quite certain
that they did not know how to give it
the irmness or consistency of the butter
made at the present day. with them
it was poured out like oil /; with us it is
cut and spread Their butter, too, must
have been very inferior to ours in quality.
We are all acquainted with our pres
ent mode of churning; other nations
have some really funny ways of making
butter.
In northern Africa, in Egypt and
Arabia the cream is put into goats
skin turned inside out, pressed to and
fro like kneading bread. And sometimes
they place it on an inclined plane and let
it roll to the bottom, and then replace it
10 run the came course. This method,
1t is said, produces butter in a short
time. Sometimes the skins are kueaded /
with the feet, as observed by DR.. Chan.
dler while travelling in Greece.
In Bengal they churn every morning
that hey might have fresh butter for
breakfast. They simply stir the mlk
rapidly with stick. In some parts OF
the East they make butter of the milk Of
the buffalo but this is in every way in
.erior TO that made from cows 8 milk.
In treating animals that are ailing from