Butter History - Top o’ the morning to you!
If you’ve ever had milk straight from a dairy farm you’ve probably seen the cream line at the top of the jug. This is a natural occurrence in less processed dairy and happens because the fattiest parts of the milk rise, creating a cream line separate from the milk below.
Historically the cream portion of a cows yield was considered the most valuable due to its richness and utility in other dairy byproducts. So much so that it’s found its way into one of the most common greetings in Irish culture -
“Top o’ the morning to you!”
Or should we be saying “top o’ the milk”?
The Irish were superstitious, and looked to symbols of good fortune for the success of their dairy. Due to its value, the quality of the cream in dairy was an indicator of a good yield. Thus anything the Irish could attribute to cream-like qualities in their surrounding world such as the “top of”, they would. Dew on the top of grass in their fields, or the first well pull of the day were seen as symbols of dairy luck.
Hence top o’ the morning was born as a phrase of shared good fortune with neighbors or friends and is used to this day.