JOIN USNothing makes for a tastier breakfast than bread smeared with oodles of butter.Over the years, we have come up with myriad varieties of the dairy delight in the forms of fresh cream, cultured, uncultured, salted, clarified and even whipped butter.
Of late, we have also discovered butters derived from peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds and even sunflower seeds.
With so much variety at hand, it is but natural to get confused. Also, cholesterol worries are always associated with all things buttery. So Metrolife finds out which ones are best suited to specific cuisines, their health benefits and the amount in which they should be consumed for optimum bliss.
Fresh pasteurised cream
is the most common style of butter used in the US. Characterised by a smooth, neutral flavour, unsalted sweet cream butter is an excellent choice for baking. Its popularity is closely followed by that of the salted butter (for example, Amul’s) which makes for nice spreads and can be added to various dishes for taste.
Then comes cultured butter in which lactic-acid bacteria is added to induce fermentation and create a sharper, ‘cultured’ taste. It is preferred in most of Europe. This is followed by pungent-tasting preserved butters such as Smen, a Moroccan delicacy, whereby a cream is allowed to age for anywhere between two weeks to two years and is then seasoned with herbs and spices.
In India, we are most familiar with clarified butter, i.e ghee, whereby butter is heated so that its water content evaporates and milk solids are removed. This long-lasting butterfat has a high smoke point and serves as a versatile cooking medium.
Lastly, comes whipped butter which has nitrogen gas whipped into it to remain soft at even low temperatures.
Of late, the world has also come to relish peanut butter. Made of raw or roasted peanuts, it makes for great sandwiches and cookies, and has high levels of healthy monounsaturated fats, protein, vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, dietary fibre and antioxidant p-coumaric acid. Almond butter is an alternative for those who have allergies with peanut. It contains significantly more fibre, calcium, potassium, iron and manganese than peanut butter.
Hazelnut butter goes very well with chocolate and forms the chief ingredient in yummy nutella. It is high in monounsaturated fats, particularly oleic acid and reduces the adverse effects of low-density lipoprotein or ‘bad cholesterol.’
Sesame seed butter, also called Tahini in the Middle-east, is extensively used as dips, in dishes and desserts. It is an excellent source of copper, manganese and the amino acid methionine, besides providing healthy fatty acids omega-3 and 6.
Lastly, sunflower seed butter is known to be rich in alpha-tocopherols, which are proven to be effective in reducing the risk of certain cancers like bladder cancer.
Dr Sandhya Pandey, chief dietician at Columbia Asia hospital says, “The variety in butter these days is a welcome trend. It is tasty and healthy provided one takes a few precautions.”
“Firstly, if a butter says ‘low cholesterol,’ it doesn’t mean that you can hog on it. Secondly, one should check for the sodium content. Salted butter tastes good but the sodium can harm your heart. Thirdly, check the fat content. Only five grams of fat and salt are recommended to a person a day. Last but not the least, check for allergies. Peanut butter is known to give anaphylactic shock to those allergic to it.”