Production of Vologda butter. It all began when, in 1870, at the World Dairy Exhibition in Paris, the special attention of Nikolai Vasilyevich Vereshchagin was attracted by butter, which had a pronounced taste and aroma somewhat similar to nutty. This taste and aroma were transferred to milk, and then to butter by some types of herbs that grew in the French province of Normandy, from where it was brought to the exhibition.

Vereshchagin decided that the original in aroma butter can be obtained in his homeland in Russia, although the grass near Cherepovets and on the banks of the Sheksna was completely different in botanical composition.

According to the print sources, he was helped by an incident that in those days was perceived as a major setback. In 1875, for the first time, they ventured from the Vologda province to send cow butter abroad, and no less than a thousand barrels. And all this precious commodity, on which so many hopes were pinned, the Europeans rejected.

First failure

In 1875, for the first time, they ventured from the Vologda province to send cow butter abroad, and no less than a thousand barrels. And all this precious commodity, on which so many hopes were pinned, the Europeans rejected. However, the butter smelled not of nuts, but of the Vologda swamp.

The reason for the failure was found soon. They remembered that the finished butter was washed with raw water, giving off a swampy “spirit”. They decided in advance: the water for washing should be boiled, and for fidelity they boiled the cream as well. And when they knocked butter out of this cream and tasted it, we felt the desired nutty aroma in it. This is how Vologda oil was born. Its unique qualities have captivated Russian and foreign specialists and buyers for the second century already. Gourmets hunt for him.

Now pasteurization of dairy raw materials at the factory means heating the cream in closed vessels to a temperature of 80-85 degrees to prevent it from spoiling soon. The reception became common. And in those years it was a novelty for buttermakers all over the world. Boiling or heating brought two benefits: it became possible to preserve the cream for a longer time. And, most importantly, that cherished and persistent taste, smell, aroma arose in them.

European fame of Vologda butter

N.V. Vereshchagin called his butter, obtained in a new way, Parisian. It soon became famous in Europe. But abroad it was called Petersburg, because they received it from this city, or maybe it was very different from the Norman one, although it was not inferior to it in popularity.

The success of Vereshchagin butter at the end of the 19th century was truly overwhelming. In just eight years, the Vologda province has caught up in production volume with the recognized leaders – the Baltics and Finland. In 1880, in the village of Fominskoye, the Bumans built a butter factory with an educational farm. Where, thanks to Vereshchagin’s efforts, for the first time in Russia, they began to use a separator for butter production. The increased export of butter from the Vologda province prompted the Danish firm Merck-Pallisen, based in St. Petersburg, to open its office in Vologda in 1891. She had a warehouse and bought oil for Copenhagen, Hamburg, Edinburgh, Hull, London.

Another circumstance also contributed to the commercial success of the new product. In 1872, the Moscow-Vologda railway was opened, which made it possible to quickly deliver large volumes of butter to the capitals (and then by sea abroad). Due to this, it attracted the interest of large wholesalers and exporters.

Unfortunately, today real Vologda butter can be found on store shelves extremely rarely. However, if you are lucky and you still buy this wonderful product, keep in mind that it is not stored for long and remains Vologda no more than a month. After this time, the oil loses its specific nutty flavor.