Holiday Ayo - In 1813, in a chemistry lab, a French scientist, Michel Eugene Chevreul discovered a type of fatty acid which he called acide margaruite. Because of its crystalline, pearl-like sheen, Michel named it after the Greek word margarites, which means "pearly - like a pearl."

Margarine is one of the ingredients for cooking and baking. This margarine has been around since the mid-19th century from the inspiration of Napoleon III.

In contrast to butter which is made from animal fats, margarine is usually processed from vegetable fats that come from palm oil to canola. Although at first glance they look similar, the texture and taste are different.

According to The Daily Meal, margarine is a combination of water and oil. When viewed from the side of history, this margarine has been known for a long time. Many people choose margarine to avoid dairy products that are in butter or butter.

As cited from food.detik.com, here are some interesting historical facts about margarine.

1. Inspiration from Napoleon III

Napoleon III was the Emperor of France who was one of the reasons for the creation of margarine for the first time. Napoleon III, was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte who became the first president in France then became emperor there.

Margarine itself appeared because many residents moved to the city, and made butter or butter a rare and expensive item. Napoleon III then had the idea in 1869 to create a contest, anyone who could create an alternative to butter was entitled to a prize.

The winner of this contest is Hippolyte Mege Mouries, who is a chemist. He studied alternative materials for making butter, using cow fat to milk which is similar to butter but more affordable.

2. Still Using Milk and Cow Fat

In contrast to today's margarine whose combination consists of oil and water. Mege used to create margarine for the first time using beef fat. But after Mege sold the margarine patent rights to a butter company in the Netherlands, namely Jurgens & Co, the composition of margarine changed.

At that time the part of beef fat which is the main ingredient for making margarine was decreasing. Then the company looked for various ways to keep margarine production. Until 1902, Wilhelm Normann appeared who produced hydrogenated oil.

After a long production of this hydrogenated oil turned into an alternative to animal fats. Because of this, margarine manufacturers began to replace animal fats with oil, and this composition has survived to this day.