BUTTER-MAKING 



CHAPTER I 



HISTORY OF BUTTER-MAKING AND COMPOSITION 



OF MILK 



THE art of butter-making in some form dates back to time 

 immemorial. History tells us that butter is one of the oldest, 

 as well as one of the most universal, articles of diet. We are told 

 it was used in some form two thousand years before the birth of 

 Christ. References are made to it in early Biblical and other 

 ancient history. We read, in Genesis, that when Abraham was 

 visited by Angels, who appeared in the form of men, " he took 

 butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed and set it 

 before them." The word " butter " is mentioned in the Bible 

 seven times. It is known that the Scythians and Greeks used 

 butter in 450 B.C. A little later there is a. record of the Persians 

 making and using it. In the early centuries butter was employed 

 in many ways. The Hindoos offered it as a sacrifice in their 

 worship. The Greeks and Romans did not eat it, but used it 

 as a remedy for injuries to the skin. It was considered by them 

 that the soot of burned butter was good for sore eyes. The 

 Romans also used it as an ointment for the skin and the hair. 

 This practice was common in Macedonia, and it is reported that 

 in many cold regions persons use butter as a bath. In Spain, as 

 late as the seventeenth century, it was found in medicine shops for 

 external application only. In the rural districts in Germany, 

 fresh unsalted butter has been employed as a cooling salve for 

 burns, and has been used to some extent in this country. 



In early times, butter was not generally used as a food, but 



