Deep-fried butter facts for kids
Deep-fried butter is a unique snack food that's become popular at many fairs. It's made by covering a piece of butter with a special coating called a batter or breading. Then, it's cooked in hot oil, a method known as deep-frying. This interesting treat has been served at several big events in the US, like the famous State Fair of Texas and the Iowa State Fair. There's also a similar dish called fried butter that has been around for a very long time, with recipes dating back to the 1600s!
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How Deep-Fried Butter Became Popular
The Start in the United States
A person named Abel Gonzales Jr., who is sometimes called "Fried Jesus," came up with the idea of deep-fried butter. He first served it at the 2009 State Fair of Texas in Dallas. He used frozen butter covered in batter. This creative snack even won the "Most Creative food prize" that year!
Later, in 2011, a version of deep-fried butter on a stick appeared at the Iowa State Fair. This one used frozen butter dipped in a batter flavored with honey and cinnamon. It was deep-fried until it turned golden brown, then topped with a sweet glaze made of powdered sugar. Larry Fyfe, a business owner at the fair, invented this version. You can also find deep-fried butter on a stick at the State Fair of Texas.
At the Orange County Fair in California in 2011, deep-fried butter was served with chocolate-covered bacon. This combination was playfully called the "coronary combo." Some people joked that the price of this snack was almost as much as a doctor's visit! This dish has also been served at other events, like the State Fair of Virginia and the Musikfest music festival.
Deep-Fried Butter in Canada
When deep-fried butter first appeared at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Canada, in 2010, it seemed to make more people want to visit the event. Over 18 days in 2010, one food stand sold 9,000 orders of deep-fried butter. That's a lot of butter! They used 800 pounds of butter to make 36,000 individual deep-fried butter balls. Each serving had four butter balls and contained about 315 calories.
Deep-Fried Butter in the United Kingdom
In 2011, a pub in Edinburgh, Scotland, called The Fiddler's Elbow, offered a dessert called "Braveheart Butter Bombs." This dish featured deep-fried butter served with ice cream flavored with a Scottish soda called Irn-Bru and a fruit sauce. Some people in Edinburgh called it a "coronary on a plate," meaning they thought it might not be very healthy. However, the chefs at the pub said that if you eat it in small amounts, it "should be all right." The pub also planned to make a version using whisky instead of Irn-Bru.
What Does Deep-Fried Butter Taste Like?
People who have tried deep-fried butter say it tastes a bit like French toast. Some describe it as tasting like "the most buttery bread you've ever had."
Celebrity chef Paula Deen even shared her own recipe for fried butter balls. Her recipe uses a mix of cream cheese and butter. This mixture is frozen, coated, frozen again, and then deep-fried for a very short time, only about ten to fifteen seconds. It cooks until it turns a "light golden" color.
The History of Fried Butter
Fried butter is a similar dish to deep-fried butter, but it has a much longer history. The first known recipe for fried butter dates all the way back to 1615!
A recipe for fried butter was also written down in a famous cookbook from 1747 called The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. This old recipe explained how to soak butter in salty water for a few hours. Then, you would put it on a rotisserie (a spinning rod for cooking), cover it with breadcrumbs and nutmeg, and roast it over a low fire. As it cooked, you would keep adding egg yolks and more bread crumbs. The recipe even suggested serving oysters with the dish!
