bog butter

[bog buht-er, bawg]

noun

Irish, Scots.

1. an ancient, waxy substance made of dairy or animal fat, usually contained in a bucket, barrel, or other wooden container, found buried in peat bogs, as evidence of a method of food preservation believed to have been practiced from the 16th century b.c. to the 17th century a.d.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bog butter¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Clothing, tools and even blocks of bog butter have been dug out of the peat.

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The man dug again and said, 'I have found a lump of bog butter.'

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There is a curious account of Irish butter in the Irish Hudibras, by William Moffat, London, 1755, from which it appears that bog butter was then well known:— "But let his faith be good or bad, He in his house great plenty had Of burnt oat bread, and butter found, With garlick mixt, in boggy ground; So strong, a dog, with help of wind, By scenting out, with ease might find."

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Specimens of bog butter are still preserved, and may be found in the collection of the Royal Irish Academy.

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