Buttery (bread) facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Rowie, rollie, Aberdeen roll |
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| Type | Bread roll |
| Place of origin | Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Main ingredients | Flour, lard, butter or vegetable oil, yeast |
A buttery, also known as a rowie or Aberdeen roll, is a tasty, savoury bread roll that first came from Aberdeen, Scotland.
What is a Buttery?
Butteries are famous for their flaky texture and rich, buttery taste. They are a bit salty, like a croissant, but also unique! People often toast them and enjoy them with jam or butter. You can also eat them plain with a cup of tea. Just be careful, because their high fat content means they get very hot when toasted!
While the buttery is a special treat from Aberdeen, you can find them all over the Northeast of Scotland and even in other parts of the world.
How Did Butteries Start?
Long ago, people say that butteries were made for fishermen sailing from Aberdeen harbour. The idea was that these rolls would stay fresh for two weeks or more while the fishermen were out at sea. Plus, the high fat in them gave the fishermen lots of energy right away!
Traditionally, butteries are made from flour, butter, lard, salt, sugar, and yeast. However, some big companies now use palm oil instead of the classic butter and lard mix.
A Buttery's History
Even in the early 1800s, people were talking about butteries! Old newspaper articles from Aberdeen mentioned how bakers were starting to use more lard instead of butter in these "butter rolls."
During World War I in 1917, there were rules about selling bread. But butteries were special! They were allowed to be sold, so bakers in Aberdeen could keep making them. This was because butteries were seen as an important food for working people in the area. Even though the exemption was removed later, people kept fighting to keep them available.
In 2006, something amazing happened: a single buttery was sold on eBay to raise money for the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital! A company called Enterprise Engineering paid a huge £620 for it!
Famous radio and TV host Sir Terry Wogan once joked that eating a buttery was like having a "mouth full of seaweed."
World Buttery Championship
Did you know there's a competition just for butteries? The very first World Buttery Championships happened on June 16, 2018, in Aberdeen!
This fun competition was set up by Martin Gillespie for Slow Food Aberdeen City and Shire. It was a way to celebrate the Traditional Buttery being added to the Slow Food Ark of Taste, which is like a special list of important foods.
Ten finalists took part in a live baking challenge. Their butteries were tasted without the judges knowing who made which one. Mark Barnett, from Gold'N'Crispy in New Pitsligo, was crowned the first-ever champion!
