# Where does butterscotch come from?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 24, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867 "2005-04-24T15:11:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867/1 "2005-04-24T15:11:01Z")

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Buttery, scotchy  
Where does butterscotch come from?  
The makers don’t say.

* * *

Is it a combination of butter and scotch? Is it the juice of the mature berry of _Q. butterscotchicus_? Folks,what the hell is it?

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**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867/2 "2005-04-24T15:17:21Z")

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My WAG is it’s buttermilk either fermented or something.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867/3 "2005-04-24T15:23:51Z")

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You don’t have a dictionary? “A syrup, sauce, candy, or flavoring made by melting butter and brown sugar together.” A lot of variants, but brown sugar + butter is the basic idea:

[http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/butterscotch-sauce1.html](http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/butterscotch-sauce1.html)

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**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867/4 "2005-04-24T19:32:18Z")

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In the word ‘butterscotch’ the ‘scotch’ part has nothing to do with ‘Scotch’ referring to Scottish, Scotland or Scotch whisky. It is from ‘scotched’, the Celtic version of scorched or heated.

Macbeth says “We have scotched the snake, not killed it”, referring to a murder attempt which has only partially been completed.

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**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867/5 "2005-04-24T19:59:17Z")

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> [@Hyperelastic](#):
>
> Buttery, scotchy  
> Where does butterscotch come from?  
> The makers don’t say.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Is it a combination of butter and scotch? Is it the juice of the mature berry of _Q. butterscotchicus_? Folks,what the hell is it?

scotch = burnt

Hence, burnt butter.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-butterscotch-come-from/300867/6 "2005-04-25T01:21:38Z")

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> [@ouryL](#):
>
> scotch = burnt
> 
> Hence, burnt butter.

Cite? [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) has the following:

> [@](#):
>
> [Alteration of butterscot : **butter** + scot _of unknown origin._]

Where does “scotch” = “burnt” anyway?