Lekvar

Fruit butter is a delectable sweet spread created by slowly cooking fruit into a thick paste and incorporating a hint of sweetness. Think of it as a close relative to jelly and jam. Some popular varieties include apple butter and plum butter.

In Latin American cuisines, you might encounter fruit pastes, which are similar but generally sweeter and more solidified. These pastes are often sold in shallow tins or wrapped like bricks, while fruit butters are typically found in wide-mouthed jars.

Making fruit butter is quite simple. The fruit is cooked at a low temperature to allow most of the water to evaporate, then blended into a smooth consistency. You can add sweeteners such as honey or sugar, along with spices to enhance the flavor. The texture of fruit butter can be so smooth that it resembles dairy butter.

There are many types of fruit butter to discover, such as:

- Apple butter

- Guava paste (known as cajeta de guayaba or bocadillo)

- Mango butter or paste (cajeta de mango)

- Pear butter

- Plum butter (called powidl)

- Pumpkin butter

- Fig butter or paste

And interestingly, even ketchup can be considered a type of fruit butter!