11 Facts You Should Know About Irish Butter

Butter’s tremendous allure is undeniable. While many condiments can be divisive (looking at you, mayo), butter tends to unify people across countries, cultures, and backgrounds. The earliest use of butter has been traced back to 8000 B.C. in Africa. And 10,000 years later, the decadent dairy product is popular all over the world. But while butter’s appeal is near universal, not all butter is the same. It can vary greatly in fat content, color, flavor, texture, and taste. And many of these factors depend on where in the world the butter originated. While no butter is bad butter (unless you let it sit out on the counter too long), some butter is simply better.

Irish butter is widely considered to be among the world’s best kinds of butter. Kerrygold, Ireland’s most ubiquitous butter brand, is one of the top-selling brands of butter in the U.S. and around the world. It was even ranked the best grocery store butter on the market by Tasting Table. So what is it about Irish butter that has made it the gold standard in spreadable dairy products? It’s more than just the luck o’ the Irish. Although luck may play a part, there are loads of factors — from climate to fat content to the way the cows are raised — that make Irish butter the literal cream of the crop.