The Country That Eats The Most Butter Is Smaller Than Some US States

Does butter make everything taste better? Not necessarily — you won't catch us slicing up little squares of butter and tossing them in our salads — but it certainly improves many dishes. You can spread it on a piece of bread, bake it into cookies, baste your steak with it in a cast iron pan, and so much more. But which country is the king of the butter lovers? Of course, it's hard to outdo the United States when it comes to eating rich foods, but perhaps France, with its baguettes and its madeleines, could challenge the U.S. for the crown? The real answer may come as a surprise: it's Denmark, the Scandinavian country best known for Legos, the Little Mermaid, and Lars von Trier. (And also, presumably, some other things that don't start with the letter "L.")

According to World Population Review, Denmark just barely edged out France in a duel of the dairy, consuming 18.85 pounds of butter per capita compared to France's 18.36 pounds per capita. That's a lot of butter for a country smaller than some of the smallest American states, like West Virginia, South Carolina, and Maine. 

Bahrain takes the bronze medal, the only non-European country in the top five, consuming 17.97 pounds per capita; Belgium and the Netherlands round out the top five with 17.2 pounds and 15.19 pounds consumed, respectively. Interestingly, the United States doesn't even crack the top ten in butter consumption per capita, taking the 37th slot with 5.82 pounds; considering the size of the country, however, it's no surprise that it comes in third in total butter consumption, with nearly 2 million pounds.

Does Denmark really love butter that much? There's enjoying a nice schmear on your bagel, and then there's eating almost 20 pounds per person over the course of a year. Well, just consider nostalgic snacks like those Danish butter cookies — the ones that come in those tins your grandmother used to repurpose for her sewing kit. Or consider smørrebrød, the open-faced sandwich made of rye bread, butter, and an assortment of savory toppings like smoked or pickled fish, cold cuts, or cheese. ("Smør," incidentally, means "butter" in Danish and Swedish, serving as the root for the word "smörgåsbord," or smorgasbord in English.) And then, of course, there's Danish Creamery, a European-style butter that isn't literally from Denmark but taps into the country's butter-loving tradition that was brought to California by Danish immigrants.

Butter is so loved in Denmark that there's a special word for when it's spread on something extra thick. "Tandsmør," which literally means "tooth butter," refers to a layer of butter so thick and dense that you can see your tooth marks in it after you take a bite. Whether you spread it on toasted bread, make a TikTok-worthy butter board, or use it to fat flash steak, it creates a decadent eating experience that anyone can enjoy, not just the Danes.