Savoury Butters

How to make sundry sorts of most daintie butter, having a lively taste of sage, cinnamon, nutmegs, mace etc. This is done by mixing a few drops of the extracted oils of sage, cinnamon, nutmegs, mace etc. in the making up of your butter: for oyle and butter will incorporat and agree very kindely and naturallie together.

Delightes For Ladies, Sir Hugh Platt (1600)

In 1600, the stillroom was an essential part of any well-run household and the mistress of the house or the housekeeper would prepare vegetable oils and distil rosewater (of which gallons were used in cooking, particularly in pies), orange-flower water and lavender water (the latter for the toilette only), as well as many herbal medicines for men and beasts. However, the savoury butters which Sir Hugh Platt suggests do not require the extracted oils of herbs and spices, but may be extremely quickly and easily made with the finely ground or chopped herb or spice worked directly into the butter. Sage alone is too strong and bitter for our taste today, but a little used with parsley and/or chives is very good. Cinnamon butter is good and mace butter is very good with fish. Nutmeg is rather strong and hot. I give a selection of butters below but, of course, all sorts of variations can be made according to taste.