TikTok has moved on to the season’s newest food trend, with butter board becoming the social media platform’s most popular latest craze. The concept is straightforward, butter board basically substituting the idea of a charcuterie board but with butter instead.
The butter board has been all over TikTok and Instagram’s foodies. It is not hard to think of why; it is simple to make, pretty, and easily customized by the cook. The trend has swept the platform, with creators experimenting with sweet and savory variations.
Justin Doiron, aka @justinesnacks, was the first to popularize the trend on the social media platform. Her creation was inspired by chef Joshua McFadden’s book, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, published in 2017. The chef also commented on his social media, “This has been the way to start dinner for me for a number of years. With always changing flavors, textures, and opportunities.”
What is a Butter Board?
A butter board is a softened butter that has been beautifully spread out on a wooden board and then decorated with various toppings, sweet or savory.
The butter can be basic or flavored with bacon-bourbon, lemon-basil, cinnamon-honey, or apple. It can be adorned with jam, honey, edible flowers, salt, goat cheese, nuts, fruits, meat, or anything else you choose. Presentation is just as crucial as flavor in any food-on-a-board circumstance. The butter can be smeared, spread, and shaped into unique designs.
How to Make Your Own Butter Board
While it looks pretty simple, there are a few steps that you could take to elevate your experience in savoring this trend. Doiron offered a few suggestions for making a butter board just like hers. One of the critical things is butter should be softened but not melted, and the first step in producing a butter board is to soften it in a bowl – it should have the consistency of peanut butter.
The rest is where you can be as creative as you’d like. Mix it with herbs and caramelized onions, or make it into something sweet with honey, blackberries, and lemon juice.
Before serving, the toppings are added. Doiron recommends using crusty bread, such as sourdough or whole wheat. While McFadden recommends experimenting with texture, using different salts or grains to generate varied textures inside the butter.
In a way, the butter board trend can be more affordable compared to cheese or charcuterie board. Butter is a versatile ingredient, making it the perfect canvas for your creative cooking.
