The production of apple butter was also a popular way of using apples in colonial America, well into the 19th century. The product contains no actual dairy butter; the term butter refers only to the butter-like thick, soft consistency, and apple butter’s use as a spread for breads.
Make Apple Butter the Easy Way
FAQ
Why is it called apple butter and not apple jam?
Why is there no butter in apple butter?
What is the origin of apple butter?
Does apple butter have butter in it?
What is apple butter?
Apple butter (Dutch: appelstroop) is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce produced by long, slow cooking of apples with apple juice or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve than apple sauce.
What can one add to apple cider to take away the horrible taste?
Try adding spices such as ginger, anise, five-spice, peppercorn, and cardamom, all of which add a delicious twist to traditional mulled cider. Try to use whole spices when you can, as ground spices can make cider seem muddy. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar or honey for sweetness.
Where did apple butter come from?
While apple butter is associated primarily with the US — colonial America, in particular — its history goes back to Europe. It is an invention from the Middle Ages. It comes from Limburg, which is now known as Belgium as well as the Netherlands and Germany. Apple butter’s history is tied to European monasteries in the Middle Ages.
What does apple butter taste like?
What you’re left with is a dark brown, deeply caramelized spread packed with intense apple flavor. The only thing apple butter has in common with regular butter is its spreadability. But it’s actually more comparable to preserves or jam than it is butter; it’s really just concentrated fruit, maybe a bit of sugar, with no dairy in sight.