Margarine

Margarine is imitation butter. While great improvements have been made over the years in margarine quality, it is still not the real thing, and it does not have the superior flavor and mouthfeel of butter. But margarine has several advantages over butter, and this probably explains why sales volume of margarine in North America has exceeded that of butter since the late 1950s.

One advantage of margarine is its lower price. Another advantage is that margarine contains no cholesterol, and soft margarines are lower in saturated fats than butter, although they may contain trans fats. A third advantage of some margarines is their stronger flavor. While this might sound like a contradiction since butter is prized for its flavor, margarine flavor can be more assertive, if less refined. Finally, margarines are designer fats, and like shortenings, features can be built into them, so that they are easier to use and more functional in certain applications.