[Sca-cooks] fresh vs. salted butter

[Harris Mark.S-rsve60]

Lainie (of Live Organ Donation, Inc. fame) responded to me with:
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Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Okay, why "salted" butter, rather than the unsalted? Availability?
> Price? I'd think the unsalted would taste better/sweeter. But in period,
> salted butter was more likely to be what was available.

Salted butter was more likely to be available? Why do you say that? Do
you have something to base it on?

To quote Ras (where the h*ll is he, BTW?)- "Documentation, please!"
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Okay, butter production varied through the year, with I believe
Spring, being the best. Butter will only keep for a while, depending
upon the weather and when you think it too disgusting to eat. Butter
preserves much better when salted.

No, I don't have any specific numbers detailing how much fresh
butter was eaten compared to salted butter. However, it appears
that the default for butter is salted, with the unsalted specifically
being called out as "fresh" or "unsalted" butter.

Here are a few snippets from my butter-msg file. Of course, if anyone
has any information, especially period quotes, saying otherwise I'd
like to get them.

Stefan
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Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 13:55:30 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - butter - salted/unsalted

>   <snip> Did they salt butter in period?  <snip> Caitlen Ruadh

My apologies; I seem to have missed this the first time around. Yes, they did salt butter in period, both as a way to preserve it for later use, and also because it allowed for different medical properties from unsalted butter.

I believe there are instructions in Le Menagier de Paris, as well as other sources that I'd have to search through, for removing the salt from butter.

Adamantius
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