Classifying Butter

Butter can be classified by the type of cream used in its production. The two types of butters are cultured butter and sweet cream butter. Cultured butter is made from sour cream, in which bacteria have converted lactose to lactic acid. Cultured butter, also called ripened butter, has a distinct sour flavor similar to sour cream. It is rarely, if ever, salted. Sweet cream butter has a milder flavor than cultured butter. It is called “sweet cream” because the cream has not been soured, not because it contains a sweetener.