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Essential to French cuisine, butter is on our table every day. But not all pads sold commercially are equal in terms of quality. Among the numerous references, here is the choice of 60 million consumers.
Butter, such a French ingredient
Can you really do without butter when you’re French? If its nutritional qualities are relative (butter is essentially a concentrate of fat), its contribution to our dishes and on our toast is quite inimitable. Whether you are a fan of unsalted butter or semi-salted butter, it is often on the table. In fact, according to the National Interprofessional Center for the Dairy Economy, the French purchased an average of 2.75 kg of butter per person in 2023.
What is the best commercial butter?
But among all the references available on the shelves, is there one better than the others? Yes, for the association 60 million consumers. It has just published a guide entitled How to choose the right butter without getting “churned”in which it targets quality butter, sold for less than four euros in the supermarket. This is the Le Gall grand cru churned butter, from unpasteurized cream
“Churn” butters, which represent around 10% of national production, means that it comes from churning, that is to say the mechanical stirring of matured cream in a device called a churn. “Traditionally, the cream is matured in the presence of lactic ferments for ten to twenty hours, until it thickens, acidifies and develops aromas and flavors. We then proceed to churning, in order to separate the churned milk (or buttermilk) from the fatagglomerated into grains of butter”. It’s this whole process over 24 hours, which then gives it its authentic flavor,”with a slight nutty taste”more pronounced than in “normal” butter.
Only 10 to 15 g per day
The fact remains that, even if it tastes good, this butter, like all the others, must be enjoyed sparingly. Butter is therefore not a dairy product, but a concentrate of fat. “Out of 82 grams, 53 to 61 grams are saturated fatty acids”also recalls the magazine in another publication. Even if one of these saturated fatty acids – butyrate – is beneficial for health due to its anti-inflammatory properties on the colon, and butter also contains certain vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin D, it does not It therefore remains a food to eat in moderation.
So, to avoid increasing the risk of developing bad cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases, you should limit yourself to eating between “10 to 15 grams per day” of butter only, remind the experts.
Slide: 8 tips for replacing butter