An Accidental Ode to Salted Butter
And the seasonings that make life rich
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Not to be dramatic, but I feel like discovering salted butter as an adult was a spiritual awakening.
As a child of the 80s and 90s, we were always avoiding sodium and fat (gasp!). If a recipe called for salt, my mom would likely leave it out. If it called for cream cheese, we’d buy the low-fat version. These were things we did in the name of “health,” while we were simultaneously eating ultra-processed 90s darlings like I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter1—the spray bottle!—and Lay’s Wow Chips (RIP to my intestines). For better or for worse, my parents did it all with good intentions. This was very much a “when you know better, you do better” situation, and I’m honestly thankful they cared enough about our health to do what they thought was best for us with the information available at the time.
However, it should come as no surprise that salted butter did not grace our dinner table during these years of salt and fat phobia. If we went to the store for real butter, it was well known that we would select the unsalted variety—and feel better about ourselves for doing so. Typically, that butter was reserved for baking. I can’t remember a time when we had butter on the table for bread. That was something I only discovered in restaurants or when my grandpa would give me butter on saltine crackers, which I loved. In hindsight, that was likely my first foray into the butter/salt combo that would eventually rule my tastebuds.
It wasn’t until the sourdough craze of 2020 that I succumbed to internet influence and cracked a little sea salt onto the unsalted butter that topped my warm, freshly-baked slice. This means I lived 37 full years before I intentionally experienced the rush I finally found. My husband grew up with salted butter. He did not live the life of deprivation that I did (oh, the drama), so this was not news to him.
When I took that first bite, my eyes closed. All the clichés came true—My mouth watered. My tastebuds exploded. Colors were brighter. Sounds were sweeter. This embodied the true meaning of savoring.
And while it’s just butter, it awakened (awoke?)2 something in me. What else had I been missing in my life? This common, simple, brilliant thing had been right in front of me my whole life, and I’d been avoiding it out of childhood training.
This came at a time when the world was shutting down and I was searching for more connection within my small world. I started paying more attention to seasonings, not only in my food but in my life. How could I “salt” other areas of my life and replicate that bliss? How could I connect with the lifeblood and energy of everything around me in a more intentional way? I started to slow down, experiment, and make time for finishing touches I might have otherwise overlooked—the pursuit of joy my only goal.
Last summer, my parents, husband, and I traveled together to France. France has a wide reputation of making some of the best butter in the world (iykyk). We bought fresh baguettes every morning and introduced my parents to the demi-sel (salted) French butter. They, as I once did, nearly lost their minds at how much flavor was in this little treat. I saw the man who had avoided butter most of his life piling it on and going back for more.
For Christmas this year, I ordered authentic French butter to share with our families. When I opened the box of freshly-churned goodness, flown from France to Kansas with a brief stop in customs, the scent overtook me. I found myself back in that first moment of awakening, yearning to share with everyone I know. So now I’m here to spread the word (and the butter)—lather up a slice and take a big bite of this savory life.
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This is still available today. I’m not here to judge anyone’s food choices (enjoy life!), but I think we can all agree it’s lost its standing it once had as a “health food.”
Would the grammar police give me the rules on this (pretty please)? My internet search left me with more questions than answers. Please don’t tell my middle school English teachers I forgot this one (sorry, Mrs. Cornett)!
Great choice! My go-to salt is a Croatian kind, gathered by hand, Ninska sol, or the salt from the town of Nin.
I share your bliss when eating salted butter! :) In my country we only have the unsalted version, and I discovered the salted one traveling, so I've been seasoning my butter since. With a pinch of fleur de sel, that's the best.