Butterscotch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Butterscotch is a type of confectionery made by boiling sugar syrup, butter, cream, and vanilla. In many ways the ingredients for butterscotch are similar to toffee; the major difference is that the sugar is boiled to the soft crack stage for butterscotch and the hard crack stage for toffee.
While many recipes reference 'butterscotch' as similar or identical to caramel or a caramel sauce, some recipes contain both butter and scotch whisky in the recipe. The scotch gives the confection or sauce a characteristic flavor that was common 50 years ago but has been replaced with a milder flavor profile. For best results, use a strongly flavored Scotch whisky that lacks smokey flavors.
Butterscotch can be bought in the form of individually wrapped, translucent hard candies. It is often used as a flavouring for items such as dessert sauce, pudding, and biscuits. To that end, it can be bought in "butterscotch chips", similar to chocolate chips.
Contents |
[edit] History
Food historians have several theories regarding the name and origin of this candy; none are conclusive. It is possible that the "scotch" part of its name was derived from the word "scorch". The name may also be based on a connection to the country of Scotland. Some have documented that "buttery toffee" is often called butterscotch—Scotch being an old adjective for Scotland—which suggests it was invented in the country.
However, the word was first recorded in Doncaster, a Yorkshire town in England, where Samuel Parkinson began making the candy in 1817. Parkinson's Butterscotch had royal approval and was one of Doncaster's attractions until it ceased production in 1977. The recipe was revived in 2003 when a Doncaster businessman and his wife discovered the recipe on an old folded piece of paper inside one of the famous St Leger tins that was in their cellar. The company Parkinson's Doncaster Butterscotch Ltd was formed and is now producing and trading butterscotch made to this original recipe. It sells the product all over the world.
[edit] Trivia
- The name of the South Park character Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a play on the word butterscotch.
- The fictional Butterbeer drinks in the Harry Potter series of novels are described as tasting like butterscotch but "less sickly".
- Butterscotch pudding has been taken into space as part of space programs. [1]
- According to The Simpsons episode "Blood Feud", Bart is allergic to butterscotch and imitation butterscotch.[2]
[edit] External links
- Recipe for butterscotch sauce
- History of butterscotch
- Samuel Parkinson's of Doncaster
- Official site of Parkinson's of Doncaster
[edit] References
- ^ CNN article on China's space menu
- ^ [1]Capsule guide to "Blood Feud", The Simpsons Archive webpage. Last accessed 03/08/2007.
