Claudia Romeo: We're in
Saint-Malo, Brittany, France, and we're about to visit Bordier, a traditional maison du
beurre, or butter house. When you picture butter,
you probably think of a yellow block in a plastic bag. Well, not here. Here, butter is done artisanally. Everything is churned,
kneaded, and shaped by hand. And I can't wait to see that. Let's go. In February, we met
with Jean-Yves Bordier, son and grandson of
butter and cheese makers, who brought back to France
the 19th-century technique of malaxage, using this big wooden wheel to knead the butter. To Jean-Yves, the malaxage is a more romantic way to make butter. Claudia: The malaxage is really what makes Bordier butter unique. These are 50-kilo blocks of
butter extracted from milk and are pretty standard in
the butter-making industry, even for the most artisanal. But while everyone else would use huge centrifuges to filter out the last remaining drops of buttermilk, butter at the Bordier
workshop is flattened by a wooden wheel and
worked by hand by Eric. Claudia: Let's do it. Little by little, the malaxage is going to give butter a new life. Dating back to the late 19th century, this tool was first used to
rework different butters. At Bordier, it also helps give butter the desired texture. Claudia: There's, like,
no way I'm gonna do this. Claudia: And when you see
him doing that, it's... it almost has, like, an harmony. It's not easy. Monsieur Bordier said this
is 50 kilos of butter. So, try and lift a bit of it, it's gonna be, like, what? 10 kilos just in one go? Claudia: Eric then salts
the butter using fine salt. This step is crucial
to make sure the butter finally rejects all the
leftover water it has in it. Claudia: Oh, wow. Actually, I can see that it's getting wetter and wetter. It's picking up more water. Claudia: According to Jean-Yves, they work with old techniques, but they are not trying
to recreate an old recipe. Claudia: Big one. Ah, no. Jean-Yves: Ah, no. Like this? OK. VoilΓ . Claudia: It's salty. Jean-Yves: It's very salty. Claudia: It's softer than
the butter I'm used to. It's much sweeter, this one. Bordier also makes flavored butters, including chili butter, buckwheat butter, vanilla butter, and more. Claudia: Yeah. It's very fresh. It's very fresh and... yeah, it tastes like seaweed, but it's not fishy at all. It's nice and sweet. It really reminds you of
that, like, seaside wind when you're just sitting
there at the beach and you can smell it. Claudia: Yeah, I've just, like, been catapulted into the picture now. Claudia: It's marvelous. It's really incredible. And so this one is your
signature from Brittany, because you're from this region? Jean-Yves: It's the roots of my identity. Claudia: Ah, no. I would like to taste
that, then. [laughing] Claudia: After it's ready, each stack of freshly churned butter is then placed into this butter cutter, another machine signature to Bordier. Claudia: There's a lot of water. Claudia: So this means
that there's still water that's coming out of the butter? Claudia: The only thing
that is left is shaping. And just like the rest,
it is all done by hand. Each shape and size is custom. Some chefs may order
these bite-sized shapes; others may just buy the whole stack and cut it themselves. Claudia: There's something in this butter.
"everything is churned, kneaded, and shaped by hand"
Cuts to Kneading machine
I knew I recognized this place! Food Insider briefly covered them a year ago, and I watched an interview from a different channel before that!
Man, I just can't get enough butter slapping in my life, apparently.
This is the most French video I've ever seen.
What a wonderfully whimsical and passionate man. We need more people with his way of viewing the world.
I knew even before clicking on it this would be Bordier butter. Guys, guys. If you're ever able to travel to France again, find some of this shit. It is amaaaazing. In fairness, any butter you buy in France is gonna blow your mind, but the Bordier stuff is out of this world! They've got different flavours, too, and there are few breakfasts more heavenly than Bordier vanilla butter on a baguette from a Paris boulangerie.
That man has a beautiful way with words to describe his butter haha
What a delight! And Jean-Yves, such a character...
This man is a treasure.