Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-12-10
About Butter.

Fat or oil i'm one form on another j.
essential TO the human economy. amt it
is TO this fact. says Thc Ne,OS, Of Lon
dol, that we owe the introduction Oh
butter which Low forms So prominent
An art Gle Of diet. We of the Anglo
Saxon race prefer solid fat, if such
term may be given 10 butter. This
preference may be because in colder
climates animal fat VIII not remain in
"A quid state. and therefore our con-
them into their present shape. The
climate OF more southern countr es ure-
vents FAT remaining solid. and thus we
find there the liquid form is preferred.
What butter is 10 one, oil Is to the
other At the present day thc Arabs
OF the desert are greedy drinkers ct
liquid butter made from the milk of
their sheep and goats; and in the
countries contiguous to or not ia re-
moved from the equator butter IS large
~ employed Is Il salvc or ointment,
and it has been used for amounting the
person. H. the "Periplus maris Fry
thrpi. written during the re- gns of
Titus and Domitan. it is stated that
'buttcr was brought from India 10 the
ports Of the Red sea, and that tropical
land j. spoken of as rich in rice, wool.
sesam, oil. and butter. Wounded Gle
plants were healed there by beng
made to swallow butter, or by having
their wounds smeared by ii.
From the bible it would appear that
butter was known during the time of
Abraham. for we find that the old
patriarch nj Mamrc Gen. xvii. -
took butter and milk. and the cali
which he had dressed aud set before
his angelic visitors. And in the song
of Deborah and Barak (Judgn, ". ~
it is stated that "Shc brought him hnt-
ter in lor,ily dish" Zophar the Na-
amathite (IoIt. Ky, II speaks OF The
flowing streams OF honey and butter
and Solomon in Proverbs (XXN.. 33)
SAYS: For the churning of milk bring
eth forth butter These and other ref
crcnces ia the scripture would show
that it was n luxury-known, I IS tue.
but rs one OF those articles OF diet TO
which onl, The rich could aspire. In
Pliny there Is a reference 10 the barDar-
ians, by which is probably meant the
Germans. ~ ''dehghting IN butter, the
possession o, which distinguishes the
rich from ;hc poor.
Probably ;hc discovery Of butter was
due to the nomadic habits of Il pair.-
archal age. Tier wealth consisted OF
flock, and herds. whose needs compci.ed
frequent change Of habitation. The
milk. carried in goa, and shcepskin bot
Il d D., ! -ba
the particles Of butter would appear.
At first they would be regarded as OBJ
iectionablc. 10 DC next yecc Lnized n
being the best OF the milk. and finally
sought for and artihcially nfc-
duced Perhaps the primary use
Of butter would be external, bu' by
some process of discovery Ike INTO
Charles Lamb roast pi-. tine merits OF
this beautiful dainty would ba revealed.
Ii may be thal the earlier churn ~ Al
ways took place on the back 81 the
camel or the ass, until II dawncd upon
the minds OF our fOrcfaihcrs that the
shaking was the secret oi the process.
not who performed IT, In Van Len
nep's travels in Little Known Parts
OF Asa Minor is a picture OF churn
still TO be found there, though mention
cd by Herodotu~. This consists OF the
trunk OF tree followed ont like q tube.
but closed at both ends. and having
hole at the top. This vessel hangs by
two strings. anl j., swung backward
and forward ~ young girl till the
butter comes. The same writer tells
how tie Scyth ans blinded their slaves,
aud made diem st round the hollow
wooden IN TX vessels. and stir COR
swing) them round and round The
stuff that rises 10 the top is SKINNED.
and considered more valuable than
what sinks 20 the bottom. Hippocrates
is more definite in his description. FOR
he says that "the Scythians pour mares
~ TX INTO wooden vessels. which they
shake, thereby the parts are separated.
/ and the fat. which they call boutyron.
/ being light. SwimS 10 the top. while the
heavier portion. sinking to the bottom.
/ is taken out. dried, and th.ckened, and
! is then called horse-cheeSe in the mid
die is the whey.
II does not appear that The Greeks
and Romans in their best DAYS knew
aught of butter. or if they did it must
have been by mere hearSay. for there Is
10 mention OF H. Aristotle. thoug. he
speaks yer}' fully OF M liz. never mon
tons butter. But later on one og two
writer's make reference to 4. in each
case. however. being most careful to
explain the meaning Of the word
"butyrum. and the origin and use OF
the article. At this PERIOD there are Il
few references to butter ~ medica-
mcnt. Ilnv indicates the greater lux
uriancc OF his day by telling how that
the more cultured races used butter.
and also milk and eggs, in the making
of pastry.
Our present form of butter is due to
the north German races and it is re-
markablc that the zone wherein beer is
used is that where the fat consumed is
largely in the form of butter. Thus
northern Europe has been spoken of as
beer and butter land. VIII lie southern
Europe is spoken of ~ wine and oil
land In the warmer portions of this
northern or butter zone butter Is eaten
fresh, while in colder districts it is pre-