Food is not only a necessity, it is part of our culture, religion, social relationships, and emotion. Food has also become a hugely high profiting industry. This is not necessarily a bad thing, when industry is built upon ethics. Too often though, profits not ethics lead the way. Money making lures companies into cutting corners in terms of quality for the sake of increased sales and production. This is where the subject gets tricky. Locating high quality, nutritious food these days has become quite a game of hide-and-seek.
In the Dairy Industry's case, laws require high heat pasteurization (invented by Louis Pasteur in 1862 ), of mass produced milk and milk products to keep harmful bacteria from growing during the long journey from cow to consumer. Sadly, this process not only kills bacteria, but also destroys the fragile enzymes and lactase-producing bacteria needed to digest lactose (the sugar component present in all dairy). Some small batch dairy foods are sold "raw" (unpasteurized), when handled specially or fermented/aged. Usually safe raw milk products permitted for sale come from grass fed cows. This is due in part to the fact that pastured cows maintain a healthier balance of good and bad bacteria naturally.
This being said, imagine my delight when I discovered this Danish butter. This is the only brand I have found that does not specifically list pasteurized cream. Pretty exciting! I have decided until I have room for a miniature Jersey cow in the yard, this butter will certainly suffice. Not to mention how blissfully velvety and creamy it is!
P.S. Of course, a local raw butter source would be preferable. What a trip this butter has made across the ocean to my toast....hummm...?
No comments:
Post a Comment