BookCookie Club
BookCookie Club Episode 1: Butter: A Rich History by Elaine Khosrova
Welcome to BookCookie Club Episode 1! A place where we read, eat, cook, and talk all things food. I am happy you’re here.
The summary of Elaine Khosrova’s “Butter: A Rich History” is pretty simple: it’s all about butter! Khosrova uses her journalistic prowess to gather historical background on this delicious ingredient with plenty of anecdotes, facts, and medical and cultural importance. She conducted extensive interviews, performed research, and visited dairy farms around the world to give readers a front seat view to varying cultures and views on butter and its history. The book contains detailed information on commercial and homestead processes and applications in butter making. Khosrova finishes the book with a recipe section for the practical use of the wondrous ingredient described throughout the book. As a former chef and student at the Culinary Institute of America, you know she creates excellent recipes.
Breaking Down “Butter: A Rich History” -A Comprehensive Guide
Let’s break the book review for BookCookie Club Episode 1 down into 4 categories: Writing Style, Historical Insight, Practical Value of Recipes (will we use them? Are they easy to follow with good results?), and Table Talk (does this book spark fun discussion? Would you like to share with friends?).
Writing Style – Engaging and Entertaining Butter Storytelling
Elaine writes in a warm, welcoming style. She describes her journey and travels through vivid imagery as she learns about butter, allowing the reader to follow along easily. The journey she takes through her research made me feel like I opened each chapter to visit an aunt writing about her global adventures. She sets the text at a nice pace, creating a delightful read. Her journalistic background reveals true detective work on all facets of butter making, butter history, butter politics, and butter recipes.
Historical Insight – Centuries of Butter Knowledge
Coming from a dairy background (I owned a goat dairy for the better part of 13 years), her deep dive into the history of the subject matter impressed me. Elaine Khosrova is a butter expert. She highlights the role women played in the cultivation and importance of butter many times throughout the book. I found the changes butter underwent during the industrial revolution and the wars with margarine throughout the decades fascinating. I especially loved when she visited a butter antiques collector to learn more about the history of the machines used and how they progressed over the years. She pays scrupulous attention to ahistorical details. I appreciate learning the why and what of where food came from and the transition our food has taken over the years.
Practical Value – Butter Recipes Worth Making
This section focuses on the recipe portion of the book. I love reading the short descriptions above each recipe as most contain bite-sized facts, tips, and storytelling. Don’t neglect all the yummy bits of a recipe as most writers love to, well, write! She emphasizes the flavor and use of butter prominently and includes recipe variations to change flavor profiles. I made the Crumb Cake recipe for my weekly dessert. I found it easy to prepare, and she provided clear and detailed instructions. The result? Divine. It made a beautiful slice for dessert with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and an even better breakfast with a cup of black coffee. I also learned not to wash my cultured butter to retain more flavor in the final product from her Cultured Butter recipe. I am revisiting my recipe posted about Cultured Butter as as result soon.
Spoiler alert: my kids loved it and are requesting more recipes.
Club Table Talk – Butter as a Conversation Starter
Does this book invite discussion? Absolutely! Topics include: historical importance of women in dairy, the industrialization of butter, butter rationing during the Great Depression, Margarine vs. Butter, and the skinny on how butter was demonized by health officials in the 1950s. I am always up for a discussion on all things dairy, so maybe this reveals my personal bias, but the recipes served great conversation starters too since I gave away a few slices to neighbors and friends. Who doesn’t love to talk about a buttery crumb cake?
Final Thoughts on “Butter: A Rich History”
I borrowed this book from the Buda Public Library and have added it to my buy list as I love the historical aspect of the book and want to prepare more of her butter focused recipes. I consider “Butter: A Rich History” by Elaine Khosrova a great choice and the right pick to start BookCookie Club Episode 1 for anyone interested in culinary history or improving their baking with butter knowledge.
What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Are you planning to add it to your curious culinarian list? Follow along at Instagram at BookCookie or Sunshine TX Cookies for more!
