Bog butter

Bog butter

"Bog butter" refers to an ancient waxy substance found buried in peat bogs, particularly in the United Kingdom and in Ireland. Likely an old method of making and preserving butter, some tested lumps of bog butter were made of dairy products while others were meat-based. [ [http://www.show.me.uk/site/news/STO269.html show.me.uk] . Accessed August 20, 2008.]

History

Bog butter is found buried inside some sort of wooden container, such as buckets, kegs, barrels, dishes and butter churns. It is a hydrocarbon of animal origin, also known as butyrellite. Until 2003 scientists and archaeologists were not quite sure of the origin of bog butter. Scientists working at the University of Bristol discovered that some samples of the "butter" were of adipose/tallow origin while others were of dairy origin. It has been proposed that bog butter has been formed by food products buried in an attempt at an archaic form of refrigeration, as the peat creates a hygienic seal around the buried matter.

In Scotland, the practice of burying bog butter dates back to at least the 2nd or 3rd century. Ireland's oldest recorded find of bog butter is a carved hanging bowl dating back to the 6th or 7th century AD.

ee also

* adipocere

References

* [http://www.peatlandsni.gov.uk/archaeology/portobj.htm Peatlands: Occasional finds]
* [http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18124392.400-bog-butter-test.html Bog Butter test]
* [http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART20488.html Bog Butter mystery]
* [http://www.show.me.uk/site/news/STO269.html Bog butter mystery solved?]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bog butter — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bog-butter — bogˈ butter noun A butter like substance found in Irish peat bogs • • • Main Entry: ↑bog …   Useful english dictionary

  • Butter — is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, sauce making, and frying. Butter consists of butterfat, water and milk proteins. Most …   Wikipedia

  • bog — og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to sink;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bog bean — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bog blitter — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bog bluiter — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bog bumper — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bog earth — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bog jumper — bog og (b[o^]g), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.] [1913 Webster] 1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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