The History of Butterscotch

Butterscotch is made by cooking brown sugar and butter and can be either simmered until it forms a hard candy or combined with cream to create a thick, sweet sauce. Samuel Parkinson is generally credited with inventing butterscotch candies in Doncaster, England in 1817. He reportedly referred to his creation as "buttery brittle toffee.” Butterscotch quickly caught on in the UK and around the world during the 19th century and remains a popular dessert flavor today. But where did the name come from? There are a few theories. Most say that the “butter” portion understandably refers to the butter needed for the recipe. Some insist that the “scotch” portion of the name comes from the word “scorch,” a reference to the high temperatures required to make butterscotch. Others theorize that the “scotch” part of the name is a reference to Scotland, which is sometimes alleged to be the birthplace of the treat, although Parkison is widely considered the inventor of butterscotch and is thought to have been English. Others think the “scotch” part of the word is a suffix that means "to cut." While we may never know for certain just where the name comes from, we do know that butterscotch steadily gained popularity over the last few centuries and that it remains a beloved flavor today that appears in the form of traditional candies, sweet sauces, pudding, and specialized flavorings used for baking such as butterscotch chips and extracts.