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Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh cream. It consists of an emulsion of water and milk proteins in a matrix of fat, with over 80% being fat. It is used as a condiment and for cooking in much the same ways as vegetable oils or lard.
Butter is solid but soft at room temperature, and melts easily. Its color is generally pale yellow, but can vary from deep yellow to nearly white (butter is typically paler, for example, when dairy cattle feed on stored hay rather than fresh grass in the winter). In countries where cows are fed on pasture year-round (grass fed beef) butter does not change colour much.
Butter sold in United States markets is typically salted. Visitors from Europe should know that anything labeled "butter" in the U.S. is salted unless specified otherwise. Flavorings, colorings, and preservatives may also be added. New Zealand produces a butter with cold-spreadability properties that make it suitable for a spread on soft foods such as bread.
Butter is sometimes rendered to produce clarified butter or ghee.
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