Margarine

Margarine

Margarine in a tub
Alternative names	Oleo, oleomargarine
Type	Spread
Place of origin	France
Creator	Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès
Main ingredients	Vegetable oils

Margarine (ⁱ/ˈmɑːrdʒᵊrᵻn/ or /-ɡər-, ˈmɑːrdʒəriːn, -ˈriːn/) is an imitation butter spread used for spreading, baking, and cooking. Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès created it in France, in 1869. He was responding to a challenge by Emperor Napoleon III to create a butter substitute for the armed forces and lower classes. It was later named margarine.

Whereas butter is made from the butterfat of milk, modern margarine is made mainly of refined vegetable oil and water, and may also contain milk. In some places in the United States it is colloquially referred to as "oleo", short for oleomargarine.