We tend not to think much about that pat of butter we put on our morning toast, including how the store-bought sweet cream butter we're eating likely pales in comparison to the rich, nutty flavor of  the cultured butter not found in many stores.

Nor, do we think about butter sculpture, butter bogs, pleasure dairies, or the dairymaids, those once respected and well-paid artisans and economic powerhouses of our nations earliest days. 

We definitely don't think about the nationwide 'war' between butter-loving dairy farmers and the margarine industry. It led to smear campaigns, state laws against margarine, and a ruling by the Supreme Court that led to pink margarine.

You may not even know it's okay to eat butter again after decades of being told to stay away from the death-inducing fats found in butter. So, go ahead and eat that toast with butter. 

Today, a show about butter. 

GUESTS:

• Elaine Khosrova - Author of Butter: A Rich History, a former pastry student at Culinary Institute of America and a former test kitchen editor at Country Living magazine
• Doug Moe - Wisconsin-based author and journalist who has written for newspapers and magazines for almost 40 years
• Adeline Druart - President of Vermont Creamery. Adeline brings her knowledge of butter-making to Vermont from her home country of France

You can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.