Butterine

/ˈbʌtəriːn/ noun

Definition

An early form of margarine or butter substitute made from animal fats, popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Etymology

From French 'butterine,' created by combining 'butter' with the chemical suffix '-ine,' inventing a term for this new synthetic product.

Kelly Says

Butterine was invented in France in the 1870s as a cheaper butter substitute for the poor—it sparked huge political fights between dairy farmers and chemists, becoming one of the first food-science culture wars!

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