Margarine

Margarine

Noun · /ˌmɑː.dʒəˈriːn/

Definition

A butter substitute made from vegetable oils or animal fats, used as a spread and in cooking; originally developed as a cheaper alternative to butter, now also marketed as a lower saturated fat option.

Origin

From French margarine, coined by the French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul from Greek margaritēs (pearl) — because of the pearlescent sheen of the fatty acids he discovered. The French Emperor Napoleon III offered a prize for a cheaper butter substitute; Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès won it in 1869 with his oleomargarine, initially made from beef tallow. The product's name reflects the pearlescent chemistry of its founding discovery.