Editing Butter (section)

==Worldwide production==
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+World butter production (cow's milk) and main producing countries in 2018
!
!Country !! Production<br /> 2018<br /><small>(tonnes)</small>
|-
|1
| {{USA}}||align="right"| 892,801
|-
|2
| {{NZL}}||align="right"| 502,000
|-
|3
| {{GER}}||align="right"| 484,047
|-
|4
| {{FRA}}||align="right"| 352,400
|-
|5
| {{RUS}}||align="right"| 257,883
|-
|6
| {{IRL}}||align="right"| 237,800
|-
|7
| {{TUR}}||align="right"| 215,431
|-
|8
| {{IRI}}||align="right"| 183,125
|-
|9
| {{POL}}||align="right"| 177,260
|-
|10
| {{MEX}}||align="right"| 153,674
|-
|11
| {{GBR}}||align="right"| 152,000
|-
|12
| {{CAN}}||align="right"| 116,144
|-
|13
| {{BLR}}||align="right"| 115,199
|-
|14
| {{BRA}}||align="right"| 109,100
|-
|15
| {{UKR}}||align="right"| 100,000
|-
| colspan="5" |''Source : [http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QP/ FAOSTAT]''
|}

In 1997, India produced {{convert|1470000|MT|ST}} of butter, most of which was consumed domestically.<ref>Most nations produce and consume the bulk of their butter domestically.</ref> Second in production was the United States ({{convert|522000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}), followed by France ({{convert|466000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Germany ({{convert|442000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}), and New Zealand ({{convert|307000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}). France ranks first in per capita butter consumption with 8&nbsp;kg per capita per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://envoye-special.france2.fr/index-fr.php?page=reportage&id_rubrique=1496|title=Envoyé spécial|work=francetv info|access-date=24 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218050857/http://envoye-special.france2.fr/index-fr.php?page=reportage&id_rubrique=1496|archive-date=18 December 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> In terms of absolute consumption, Germany was second after India, using {{convert|578000|MT|ST}} of butter in 1997, followed by France ({{convert|528000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Russia ({{convert|514000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}), and the United States ({{convert|505000|MT|ST|disp=or|abbr=on}}). New Zealand, Australia, Denmark and [[Ukraine]] are among the few nations that export a significant percentage of the butter they produce.<ref>Statistics from [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] Foreign Agricultural Service (1999). [http://www.fas.usda.gov/dlp2/circular/1999/99-07dairy/toc.htm Dairy: Word Markets and Trade] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050923112615/http://www.fas.usda.gov/dlp2/circular/1999/99-07dairy/toc.htm |date=23 September 2005 }}. Retrieved 1 December 2005. The export and import figures do not include trade between nations within the [[European Union]], and there are inconsistencies regarding the inclusion of clarified butterfat products (explaining why New Zealand is shown exporting more butter in 1997 than was produced).</ref>

Different varieties are found around the world. ''[[Smen]]'' is a spiced Moroccan clarified butter, buried in the ground and aged for months or years. A similar product is ''maltash'' of the [[Hunza Valley]], where cow and yak butter can be buried for decades, and is used at events such as weddings.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/pakistan-remote-butter-cheese-treasure/ |title=Here, the Homemade Butter Is Aged for Half a Century |date=23 January 2018 |archive-date=24 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124022519/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/pakistan-remote-butter-cheese-treasure/ |first=Paul |last=Salopek}}</ref> [[Yak butter]] is a specialty in [[Tibet]]; ''[[tsampa]]'', [[barley]] flour mixed with yak butter, is a staple food. [[Butter tea]] is consumed in the [[Himalaya]]n regions of Tibet, [[Bhutan]], [[Nepal]] and India. It consists of tea served with intensely flavored—or "rancid"—yak butter and salt. In African and Asian nations, butter is sometimes traditionally made from [[sour milk]] rather than cream. It can take several hours of churning to produce workable butter grains from fermented milk.<ref>Crawford ''et al.'', part B, section III, ch. 1: [http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0251e/T0251E15.htm#ch1 Butter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203034019/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0251e/T0251E15.htm#ch1#ch1 |date=3 February 2006 }}. Retrieved 28 November 2005.</ref>