Our Treasures: Spreading the word about the history of butter

This butter churn was donated to the Whangārei Museum by a Mrs Morrison 1972.28.1.

It seems so easy to pop to the corner dairy and pick up some butter with never a second thought about how it got to be in that conveniently wrapped state.

Not so long ago butter was made in the home as required, usually as a result of the efforts of a member of the family using muscle power to turn the handle of a butter churn.

The museum holds a number of these churns, once upon a time essential items in a kitchen, some of us may even remember being an unwilling participant in butter making.

This example was popular in the 1920s to 1930s. It consisted of a large four-sided glass jar, big enough to hold three imperial quarts of cream (roughly 2.8 litres). The jar was sealed by a metal screw top lid with a number of small holes to allow air to escape. A red bulb on top of the lid concealed the mechanism that was then connected to three wooden panels or agitators inside the jar. A large metal handle for turning the paddle was attached to the bulb. Just add cream, turn the handle furiously and hey presto, butter.

The label of a Blow Butter Churn.

The lid of a Blow Butter Churn.

The model shown here is made by the Blow Butter Churn Company in London, Chesterfield, Derbyshire England. These were popular in households in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The company was established by J.J. Blow, initially based in London, and went on to produce agricultural machinery such as filter mediums, milk strainers, churns and cans.

After merging with other similar companies, a further development was the invention of the Blow Automatic Calf Feeder. The 1960s saw the closure of this type of rural industry, sadly.

There is a legend that the discovery of butter dates back to ancient Africa in 8000BC when a herder making a journey with a sheepskin container of milk, strapped to the back of one of his sheep found that the warm sheep’s milk, jostled in travel had curdled into something remarkably tasty. In pottery dating from 6500 BC, scientists have discovered residues of milk fats.

It is believed that raw milk wasn’t consumed by people of this time and the high amounts of milk fat point to a diet of butter, cheese and yoghurt. Butter rose in prominence through the Middle Ages although it was largely considered peasant food.

Some interesting facts about butter surfaced while doing research. Early butter was not made from cow’s milk but from the milk of yaks, sheep and goats. In ancient Rome, butter was prized for its medicinal properties and for use in cosmetics.

Not good on a hot day, I would have thought. Ancient civilisations considered the transforming of milk into butter a magical process, so butter was often used as an offering to the gods. Then there is the Harvard University Great Butter Rebellion of 1766 when students rioted when given rancid butter.

Butter has remained a popular dairy product to this day and of course, its manufacture is vital to the economy of New Zealand.