Like a box, it is composed of 2 parts:
Its base is a pot where salted water (which is better) or not is poured, and a bell-shaped lid that is filled with butter.
Once the butter dish is closed, the butter is in contact with the water. This system prevents oxidation, and the butter does not go rancid.
Its other advantage is that you can leave the butter dish in the kitchen or dining area.
Practical use:
You must ensure to fill the base pot with water and close the butter dish over the sink to avoid water spillovers.
This is to ensure that the bottom of the butter and each small hole of the butter bowl are in contact with the water so that the butter is not exposed to ambient air.
A little history…
Originally, butter was stored in wooden containers.
Apparently, it was in the 17th century that the famous French potters of Vallauris were responsible for the design and commercialization of the first ceramic butter pots.
Since they were easier to wash and keep clean than wooden pots, ceramic butter pots quickly became popular.
The production initially targeted merchants and craft fairs.
Privately, many people do not know about butter dishes; thanks to refrigeration, butter could be stored without special pottery.
However, around the 1970s, artisan potters rediscovered this useful pot and began making them for domestic use.
It had become rarer, but nowadays, it is increasingly being used again.
It is an ecological preservation system that is appreciated.
But also because it keeps the butter at room temperature for easy use, as it is not hard like it would be if it came out of the refrigerator while being kept cool by the water.