The Fancy Belgian Butter That's Stealing The Spotlight In 2023
Could fancy Belgian butter be the next trendy, hard-to-find ingredient? Since it's captured the attention of millions of TikTok foodies, it's likely that grocery stores are going to see a rise in purchases of the luxurious spread. Skincare founder and influencer Charlotte Palermino shared in a TikTok that she recently invited her audience to guess at the primo yellow spread she added to a slice of bread, and she was flummoxed by viewers who thought it was melted brie.
The true identity of the tantalizing ingredient? Well, let's just say that products like this are the reason why butter boards are so popular. It's Les Prés Salés, a premium butter made in Belgium. The oval-shaped, paper-wrapped slab of butter has a sunny yellow color and visible flecks of salt. Palermino promises that showing up to a dinner party with this butter, and perhaps a freshly baked baguette to enjoy with it, will make you "the most popular person there." What makes this butter so outstanding?
It's the salt that really makes this butter divine
Les Prés Salés is a salted butter made by Mathot-SOFRA, a family-owned cheese and butter company in the quaint village of Celles in Belgium. The butter is produced from the milk of cows that graze on the grassy plains and fresh air of the Ardennes region, and the company says its special kneading technique also makes its butter superior. Malaxage is the name for this centuries-old, hands-on process where giant blocks of butter are flattened under a large, ridged wooden roller, which helps press out any remaining buttermilk. Workers scoop up the flattened butter and send it under the roller over and over until a creamy and glossy consistency is achieved.
What really sets this salted butter apart from other varieties, however, is the salt — specifically, fleur de sel harvested by hand in the Camargue region of southern France. Highly prized for its texture, flavor, and moisture left behind by the seawater, Camargue salt is flecked throughout Le Prés Salés butter, where the crystals stay intact to give every bite a delightful, salty crunch.
This is a specialty European butter to be savored, so serve it in a way that the butter will be the star of the show: spread on crusty, artisan bread, on a butter board with pieces of pita or naan, or atop steamed veggies or cooked pasta.