What’s Bad Is Good: Butter
Food lovers will welcome any word that things once thought to be bad for your health might actually be GOOD. Serena Altschul has news of exactly that:
Here’s something worth spreading: Butter is back.
“We now live in really great butter times,” laughed food writer Elaine Khosrova, a bona fide butter lover.
Altschul pointed out, “About 50% of what’s going on in your refrigerator is butter.”
“Yeah!” Khosrova said.
That’s right: she collects butter. She even makes her own, too.
Humans have been eating butter for thousand of years. It’s a rich history, as Khosrova writes in a new book, “Butter” (Algonquin).
Just talking about butter gets her all melty: “You can cream it. You can whip it. You can layer it. And then still it comes to the table sort of naked, by itself, and it’s delicious there, too.”
Last year, the average American ate more than 22 sticks of butter. And U.S. butter consumption recently hit a 40-year high: Holy cow!
But for decades, margarine stole the show, marketed as a healthy alternative. Then came news of unhealthy trans-fats in some margarines, and we were suddenly back to the basics of butter.
Plus, Khosrova says, “It just tastes so good.”
Still, at 800 calories a stick, being a heavy butter user could make you a heavy butter user.
“Right now the USDA guidelines discourage against eating too much saturated fats, including butter,” said Altschul.
“I know. It’s not like you sit down to a stick or a half a sick of butter; you have a tablespoon here or there,” Khosrova replied.
And even in moderation, one thing is certain: Butter makes everything “better,” Khosrova laughed.
Somewhere Julia Child is smiling.
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For more info:
- “Butter: A Rich History” by Elaine Khosrova (Algonquin Books); Also available in eBook format
- Follow Elaine Khosorva on Facebook and Twitter (@butterdishing)