TABLE TALK #153
Irish butter has always had a certain magic about it - that deep yellow glow, that impossibly creamy texture, that taste that makes you wonder if something so simple can really be that good. But behind every pat lies a story far older and richer than you might expect - one that spans centuries, seas, and is paid glorious homage to in a curious little museum in Cork.
🍝 MAIN COURSE 🍝
It was, by all accounts, the world’s largest butter market - and unusually for its time, it operated with meticulous quality control. Inspectors would sniff, taste and grade each firkin before export, a system that helped turn Irish Butter into one of the earliest examples of a global food brand.
Photo Credit - David Maguire
Accidentally Wes Anderson
As for modern-day fame, no story of Irish butter would be complete without a spotlight on Kerrygold. Launched in 1962, it took what Ireland had been doing best for years and wrapped it in a name that sounded unmistakably Irish. The idea was simple but revolutionary - unite the country’s many local creameries under one national brand, creating a product that could stand proudly on the world stage.
Made from the milk of grass-fed cows and rich in butterfat, it quickly became synonymous with quality and care. Its golden hue, a natural result of all that lush pasture, became its calling card - a small, visible sign of something honest and good.
Today, Kerrygold is the second best-selling butter in the United States - a wild feat for a small Irish export - and continues to fly off supermarket shelves from Dublin to Düsseldorf. Not bad for something that began as a collective effort to give farmers a fairer price and the country a shared story. Proof, perhaps, that authenticity goes a very long way.
Photo Credit: Kerrygold
🍮 SWEET ENDINGS 🍮
If a museum devoted to butter feels niche, it’s in good company.
Around the world, there are over forty museums devoted entirely to food. A ramen museum in Yokohama, a mustard museum in Wisconsin, and even one dedicated entirely to burnt food in Massachusetts.
🍷 WHAT'S NEW
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WEDNESDAY'S DOMAINE? 🍷
Truth be told, we’ve wanted to offer this kind of choice from the start, but it takes a certain level of scale (and a fair bit of behind-the-scenes tinkering) to get there. It’s a great feeling to finally be able to make it happen - and even better that it’s being so well received.
Here’s to more ways to enjoy your favourite bottles, your way.
Luke x
