Apple butter

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About Apple butter
Wikipedia Article About Apple butter on Wikipedia

Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of applesauce, produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve than applesauce. It was a popular way of using apples in colonial America, and well into the 19th century. The term "butter" refers to the thick, soft consistency, and its use as a spread for breads. Typically seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, and other spices, apple butter may be used as a side dish, an ingredient in baked goods, or as a condiment. The Pennsylvania Dutch often include it as part of their traditional seven sweets and seven sours dinner table array.

In areas of the American South, the production of apple butter is a family event, due to the large amount of labor necessary to produce apple butter in large quantities.