French butter dish
Encyclopedia
A French butter dish is a container used to keep butter
fresh and soft without refrigeration
. This late 19th century French-designed pottery
crock has two parts: a base with a hollow cylinder attached to it, and a cup that also serves as a lid. The cup holds the packed in butter, and the base holds water. The water creates an airtight seal that keeps oxygen away from the butter so that refrigeration is not needed, and the butter can be used in its soft form. This method will keep butter for around a month provided it is kept at temperatures below 80F (27C) and the water is changed regularly.
The French butter dish design is thought to have originated in Vallauris
, France
. Vallauris is known for its pottery
crafts. Others speculate that it was created in Brittany
, or Normandy
; both known for their butter production.
In the 1970s and 1980s craft
potters
started making and selling the French butter dish throughout the United States at craft
fairs and in art
boutique
s. "French Butter Dish" became the preferred name in the USA around that time and was later adapted by potters in Europe. By the end of the 20th century, French butter dishes became popular enough for manufactured versions to appear.
Other names for this item are: "French butter keeper", "French butter crock", "Butter Crock", "Beurrier à l'eau", "Beurrier Breton", "Beurrier Normand", "Cloche de beurre", "Pot à beurre Breton" (French), "Butterdose" (German). Two manufactured versions are the Norpro Butter Keeper and the Butter Bell (a registered trademark
of L. Tremain,Inc).
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
fresh and soft without refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
. This late 19th century French-designed pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
crock has two parts: a base with a hollow cylinder attached to it, and a cup that also serves as a lid. The cup holds the packed in butter, and the base holds water. The water creates an airtight seal that keeps oxygen away from the butter so that refrigeration is not needed, and the butter can be used in its soft form. This method will keep butter for around a month provided it is kept at temperatures below 80F (27C) and the water is changed regularly.
The French butter dish design is thought to have originated in Vallauris
Vallauris
Vallauris is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is located in the metropolitan area of Sophia-Antipolis, and is today effectively an extension of the town of Antibes, bordering it on its west side.-Population:-Culture:In...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Vallauris is known for its pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
crafts. Others speculate that it was created in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, or Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
; both known for their butter production.
In the 1970s and 1980s craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
potters
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
started making and selling the French butter dish throughout the United States at craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
fairs and in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
s. "French Butter Dish" became the preferred name in the USA around that time and was later adapted by potters in Europe. By the end of the 20th century, French butter dishes became popular enough for manufactured versions to appear.
Other names for this item are: "French butter keeper", "French butter crock", "Butter Crock", "Beurrier à l'eau", "Beurrier Breton", "Beurrier Normand", "Cloche de beurre", "Pot à beurre Breton" (French), "Butterdose" (German). Two manufactured versions are the Norpro Butter Keeper and the Butter Bell (a registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
of L. Tremain,Inc).