July 2025
Melted Butter isn't what you think...
Hello Tastorians,
A few weeks ago I posted a video on the history of the British pudding, Spotted Dick. At the end of the recipe, which is from the 1854 edition of A Shilling Cookery For the People, Alexis Soyer says to "serve with melted butter, and a little sugar over." I made the assumption that melted butter meant melted butter, but oh, how wrong I was. One of my Patreon patrons was quick to inform me that, in the 19th century, in England, melted butter often referred to a style of sauce made with butter, flour, and either water or cream or, on occasion, vinegar.
I do my best, when doing research for videos, to cast aside as many assumptions as possible and question everything, but here, my assumption that "melted butter" meant melted butter, led me to folly. Of course, the flavor of the final product wouldn't have changed all that much, but the texture of the sauce would have been thicker and likely whiter. What I learned though, is that no matter how much you think you know about a subject, there's always something you don't know and often, you don't know what you don't know.
Now, if you think it's silly that "melted butter" does not, in fact, mean melted butter which was often called "oiled butter", then you are not alone. Even while the term was being used in the mid 19th century, Charles Francatelli, chef to Queen Victoria, refused to call it melted butter. Rather he called it Butter Sauce saying "Butter sauce, or, as it is more often absurdly called, melted butter, is the foundation of the whole of the following sauces..." - Francatelli's Modern Cook. So clearly, some people knew that the name would cause confusion, especially when recipes from this time also instructed you to "melt butter" which would carry the same meaning as it holds today. And that brings me to my last question which, at this time, remains unanswered; when did the term "melted butter" change from referring to a sauce and instead mean what it does today? And was it a gradual change or, like the switch to metric, did the entire UK switch from one meaning to the other overnight? Alas, the research continues.
Sadly, I am unable to make a correction to the video on YouTube, but I will update the recipe on the Tasting History website. And, while it never feels good to make a mistake, it does feel good to be kindly corrected and to learn something new in the process. Even better, I got to share the revelation with you.
Now, here are a few things that I think you'll enjoy.
Ancient DNA Reveals Key Ingredient in Greco-Roman Garum Sauce - A DNA study has confirmed the fish used in one of the ancient world's most prized garums.
What if you funneled Niagara Falls through a straw? - A video answering the important question of "What if you funneled Niagara Falls through a straw?
