Deep-fried butter

Deep-fried butter is a snack food made of butter coated with a batter or breading and then deep-fried.[1][2] The dish has been served at several fairs in the US; among them, the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, Texas, and the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa.[1] Fried butter is a similar dish, for which recipes exist dating to the 17th century.

Deep-fried butter at the State Fair of Texas, 2009

History

United States

Abel Gonzales Jr., also known as "Fried Jesus", of Dallas, Texas, invented deep-fried butter,[3][4] serving it at the 2009 State Fair of Texas in Dallas, Texas. Prepared using frozen, battered butter, it was awarded the "Most Creative food prize" at that time.[1]

A version of deep-fried butter on a stick debuted at the Iowa State Fair 2011,[5][6] which was prepared using frozen butter that is dipped in a honey- and cinnamon- flavored batter, deep-fried until browned, and then topped with a confectioner's sugar glaze.[1] This concoction on a stick was invented by Larry Fyfe, an entrepreneur and concessionaire at the fair.[6] Deep-fried butter has also been served on a stick at the State Fair of Texas.[7]

In 2011 at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California, deep-fried butter was paired with chocolate-covered bacon and dubbed the "coronary combo." ABC News made a comparison regarding the pricing of this food pairing, stating, "the $10.50 price rivaled some health plans' co-payments for a visit to a cardiologist."[1] This dish has also been served at other events and venues, such as the State Fair of Virginia[8][9] and the Musikfest music festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[10]

Canada
Food signage for deep-fried butter and other foods at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto

The debut of deep-fried butter in 2010 at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Canada may have led to a rise in attendance at the event.[11] During the 18-day event in 2010, the concession stand purveying the dish sold 9,000 orders, which equated to 36,000 individual deep-fried butter balls using 800 pounds of butter.[11] The dish was served in portions of four balls at the event, which totaled 315 calories.[11]

United Kingdom

In 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland, a pub named The Fiddler's Elbow served a dessert dish named "Braveheart Butter Bombs" that consists of deep-fried butter served with ice cream infused with Irn-Bru and coulis.[12] Some critics in Edinburgh have referred to deep-fried butter as a "coronary on a plate", but chefs at the pub have stated that when consumed in moderation it "should be all right".[12] The pub also planned on offering a variation using whisky in place of Irn-Bru.[12]

Characteristics
A cross section view of deep-fried butter at the State Fair of Texas, 2010

Deep-fried butter's flavor was compared to that of French toast, and described as tasting like "the most buttery bread you've ever had".[13]

ABC News called it an "artery-clogging snack."[1] Celebrity chef Paula Deen published a recipe for fried butter balls,[14] which uses a blend of cream cheese and butter that is frozen, coated, frozen again, and then deep-fried.[14] The cooking time in this recipe is short, for only ten to fifteen seconds, whereupon the product attains a "light golden" color.[14]

Fried butter

Fried butter is a similar dish, for which recipes exist dating to the 17th century.[15] The first known recipe for fried butter dates to 1615.[15] Fried butter was documented in the cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy in 1747.[15] The recipe entailed soaking butter in salted water for a few hours, placing it on a rotisserie ("spit it"), covering it with breadcrumbs and nutmeg, and roasting it under a low fire while continuously covering it with egg yolks and additional bread crumbs.[15] Oysters were recommended to accompany the dish.[15]

See also

References
  1. Allen, Jane E. (August 12, 2011). "Tasty Trumps Nutritious: Deep-Fried Butter". ABC News. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  2. "Deep-Fried Butter History + Recipe". Travel Food Atlas. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  3. "Come fry with me". The Economist. October 8, 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  4. Sedacca, Matthew (July 22, 2015). "Meet 'Fried Jesus,' the State Fair Food Genius Who Invented Deep-Fried Butter". Vice. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  5. Munson, Kyle (August 7, 2014). "Who mourns State Fair's deep-fried butter on a stick?". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  6. Fritsch, Jane (August 13, 2012). "In Iowa, Deep-Fried Butter on a Stick". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. "The 15 Most Ridiculous State Fair Foods Of All Time". Huffington Post. August 24, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  8. Bryan, Alix (September 24, 2015). "Complete State Fair of Virginia 2015 Guide, now including deep-fried butter". WTVR-TV. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. Hausman, Sandy (August 31, 2015). "Deep Fried Butter? It's Almost Fair-Time". WVTF. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. Huth, Kelly (August 11, 2015). "How to make deep-fried butter, Muskifest's new food". The Express-Times. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. "Did butter-balls save the CNE?". Toronto Star. September 8, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. "Deep fried butter goes on the menu in Edinburgh". BBC News. December 20, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  13. Hensley, Scott (September 4, 2009). "New Frontier In Fatty Food: Deep-Fried Butter". NPR. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  14. Neely, Gina (October 24, 2014). "Paula's Fried Butter Balls". Food Network. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  15. Eveleth, Rose (January 3, 2014). "Long Before Paula Deen's Fried Butter Balls, Cooks Were Trying to Roast Butter on a Stick". Smithsonian. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  16. Laussade, Alice (September 2, 2011). "Abel Gonzales Jr: Dallas' Fried-Stuff Savior". Dallas Observer.
  17. Bryan, Andy. "The Apex of American Ingenuity- Fried Soda". Inventor Spot. Retrieved 17 February 2012.

Further reading

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