Those taking part in the butter tour of France mini-series include chef and blogger Dalia Dogmoch Soubra as well as food bloggers and influencers Courtney Brandt, Nicole Maftoum, Sandra Boghos, Yasmine Tannir and Jen Sahi.

 As part of the four episodes, the Dubai chefs and bloggers had the opportunity to witness firsthand the milking phase of the butter-making process when they visited a dedicated dairy farm in Machecoul, western France. As part of milking, strict hygiene regulations are implemented to avoid bacteria contamination, and five-star conditions for the cows are put into effect to create tasty milk.

 Award-winning cheese monger François Robin said, “The butter-making process is connected to the milk composition, which in turn, is related to what animals eat.
Eating as naturally and seasonally as possible gives that fantastic taste that we get in the butter later. That’s why this connection between what the cows eat and how the butter tastes is so incredibly important. This is the perfect illustration of the link between the terroir and the taste of the butter.”

The group was also introduced to the centuries-old tradition of churning butter. Using a wooden churn, the butter is churned and once formed, cold water is added to capture the flavour and firm up the butter. The butter is slowly kneaded until it obtains its familiar consistency. The butter can be salted using fine salt or salt crystals during this final stage.

The history of butter is also showcased as part of a to visit the town of Laval and the local dairy museum. The fascinating story of butter is recreated there, with many of the original tools used to make butter on display.