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| Caramelised Onion Sourdough Bread |
The few times that I had onion bread, I loved
it. I wonder why it is not more popular considering that onion is not an
expensive ingredient.
Today's Favourite Photo
Chocolate cupcakes with espresso and toffee
Today’s Favourite Blog
I suppose we all have our views on which is
better – butter or margarine. Here’s an interesting comparison looking at
different factors.
Cost: Margarine is winner
Did you know that margarine was banned for 62
years in Canada. During this time bootleg margarine was smuggled in from the
former Dominion of Newfoundland for half the price of butter.
Taste: Butter is winner
This is subjective, but probably quite
unanimous, unless one has been eating margarine from birth and really acquired
the taste. The person who thinks margarine tastes better probably loves those canned sausages. I have never tried those, one day I will.
Heart Healthy Saturated Fat Levels: Margarine is winner by slight margin
Butter has more saturated fats. For a long time
saturated fat was wrongly associated with higher rates of heart disease and
other health problems. Some saturated fats are now known to be extremely
healthy for you.
While Care2 concludes margarine is winner, I think
otherwise.
Vitamins and Minerals: Butter is winner
Butter contains an easily absorbable vitamin A,
E, K, and D, high levels of selenium and iodine.
Cholesterol Content: Margarine is winner
Margarine contains no cholesterol while all
animal products contain cholesterol. High blood cholesterol levels are
associated with heart disease, so major health associations warn against
consuming over 300 mg/day.
Many researchers and nutritionalists maintain
that blood cholesterol is dependent not on dietary cholesterol levels but how
much our bodies naturally produce. They also point out that dietary cholesterol
is necessary for intestinal health and that human breast milk is high in
cholesterol.
Essential Fatty Acids: It’s a tie
Butter has small, but equal, amounts of omega 3
and 6 fatty acids. Some margarine has added omega 3 fatty acids.
Trans Fat Content: Butter is winner
Some margarines are now “hardened” with
different methods so they contain no or little trans fat.
Specialized Fatty Acids: Butter is winner
Butter contains a number of health-boosting
fatty acids: butyric acid, lauric acid, conjugated linoleic acid and glycospingolipids.
Dairy Allergies and Sensitivities: Margarine is winner
Butter has small amounts of milk proteins which
some may be allergic to. It also contains small amounts of lactose. Cultured or
fermented butter has less but still has traces.
Level of Processing and Naturalness: Butter is winner
No explanations needed here.
It seems “butter is better”. It certainly sounds
better than “margarine is better”.
I grew up eating margarine (I think it was the era) but now love butter and can't really imagine going back to margarine :) Why was it banned in Canada?
ReplyDeleteI love butter specially the good quality ones specially when spread on a freshly baked bread.
ReplyDeleteYour onion bread looks extraordinary! As a student I used to buy often a kind of flat bread with lots of fried onion on top (it was baked with the onion, so it was fried and caramelised). I still remember how I loved it as a snack... I like the pattern you have created with onion on top too. It looks very professional.
ReplyDeleteButter is definitely better, unless someone suffers from an illness of course. Margarine is so awful... I can smell a tart made with margarine-based pastry at 100 metres!, well maybe I have to come a bit closer ;-) I don't have children but I have recently learnt that in several European countries margarine is forbidden to children under the age of three because it doesn't give them any advantages (apart from being fat), while butter gives vitamins and cholesterol which children need (see the point about human milk) and because we never know if margarine is trans or not, so doctors say to parents that small but regular amounts of butter are advised. It proves something, doesn't it?
Otherwise I once listened to a very interesting BBC 4 radio program about margarin: all the interviewed scientists said that the omega they boast of are derived from plants, not fish for example, and it makes them much much less valuable.
Oh the caramelized onions must give an extra flavor and nice depth to the bread, looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteToo funny, back in college I took a public speaking class and we had an assignement were we had to self-debate two opinions, I did it on butter vs margarine lol. I say butter is the overall winner too.