Sour cream is often associated with American cooking, but it probably originated in Eastern Europe. Many historians believe that it originated in Russia specifically. Russian sour cream — called smetana — most likely comes from a Mongolian beverage called kumis. Mongolian kumis is made from horse milk and is similar …
Crème fraiche is a cultured cream that originated in France’s Normandy region. The Normandy region is well-known for its dairy production. Crème fraiche from Isigny-sur-Mer — a town in Normandy — is considered among the best in the world, if not the very best. The term crème fraiche translates literally …
Clotted cream is a traditional British spread that is believed to have come from England’s southwest corner. Other names for clotted cream include Devon or Cornish cream because Devon and Cornwall are the two places in the UK that are most famous for it. Clotted cream may have first come …
Coconut butter is a product made with the fruit of the coconut tree. The meat of the coconut fruit contains a lot of oil, which is what accounts for coconut butter’s spreadable consistency. Coconut oil is the main component of coconut butter and has been used for food for thousands …
Walnut butter is made with ground walnuts. Walnuts are full of oil, and grinding them causes the release of that oil, which helps convert the ground nuts to a spreadable paste. Walnuts originated in Persia, which is called Iran today. From Persia, they spread throughout Asia and Europe. As one …
Apple butter’s main ingredient is cooked and puréed apples. In some parts of Europe, the term apple butter is used for a syrup made from reduced apple juice. While apple butter is associated primarily with the US — colonial America, in particular — its history goes back to Europe. It …
Nutella’s inventor was an Italian pastry chef from Turin named Pietro Ferrero. According to legend, Fererro invented Nutella to be a sweet treat for factory workers. The blend of chocolate and hazelnuts was not new, as the two were already combined in a traditional confection from Piedmont called gianduja. In …
Sunflower butter is made mainly from roasted and ground sunflower seeds, but sometimes sunflower oil may be added in to give it a better consistency. Historians believe that sunflowers are one of the first crops cultivated in the Americas, and may well have been cultivated even before corn. Domestication of …