Agricultural tourism is huge in Italy and we were lucky enough to bump into this delightful, organic, little butter from Cutigliano, nestled up in the Tuscan hills above Lucca. Tasty treats from the Apennines, indeed!
Mercifully, travel has started again after two years of COVID related faff and we can finally get out and start sampling butters from more localised places.
Since the IBC has had personal links to Tuscany for more than a decade now, going back 'home' was high on our list of priorities come the summer holidays. Butter produced in Italy for the Italian market is almost exclusively unsalted and produced to be light, fresh, clean and discrete. It's the perfect backdrop for more the more complex flavours of beautiful Italian produce.
We approve.
I Taufi Artisanal Butter Appreciation
Butter Break Down
Appreciation Date: August 7, 2022
Country of Origin: Italy
Point of Procurement: Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Purchase State: Fresh
Milk: Cow, pasteurised
Salt Content: None
Milk Fat Content: 82%
Ingredients: Cream
Declared Possible Allergens: None
Company Website: https://www.itaufi.it/prodotti.html
Butter Evaluation
I Taufi is an organic dairy located about 3 hours in Pistoia, up in the hills above Pisa and Florence. It has a beautiful climate that receives more rain than southern Tuscany and therefore produces excellent pasture... and milk products.
Italian butter is unfathomably white. There is a lot of nonsense on the internet about what makes butter white and it is NOT the fact that it's devoid of salt as some internet sources claim (or worse). The IBC will look more into this but white butter from cow milk is more likely to have been produced by cows fed a higher proportion of grains to grass than cows that produce yellow butter. It's very 'in' right now to seek out 'grass-fed' products and there is nutritional merit in doing so, but we must also remember that foods produced traditionally and environmentally sensitively also have nutritional and traditional value.
This butter is very soft, bright white and almost whipped. Although it sounds contradictory, it's very light and relatively soft... yet also has good textural integrity and remains fairly firm even at room temperature. As you can see from the picture, it doesn't slump when spread on bread; its whipped texture gives beautiful peaks whilst remaining spreadable. Because if its artisanal origins, the butter retains some moisture pockets but it's homogenous and very enjoyable.
Even after being frozen and transported to Dubai, it still has a very pleasing, fresh milky aroma with very little sweetness. This one smells of pure, fresh cream!
And, on the palate: cream. It's a very clean fat but the milk notes remain in the mouth and provide a very satisfying flavour. Again, as it feels almost whipped, it has excellent integrity in the mouth and is substantial without being heavy and has a medium clinginess - it coats the mouth well but without getting in the way.
Final Rundown
This is a very nice light butter that gives the richness of cream without the heaviness. Fresh and milky, it's rich and indulgent and a beautiful bite of the best Italy has to offer. Go get it if you can!
Colour: Bright white
Aroma: Milky and fresh
Taste: Light cream
7.5/10
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