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Margarine was invented in 1869 by French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès:
Background

The French government offered a prize to anyone who could create a cheap alternative to butter in response to a food shortage.

Creation

Mège-Mouriès created the first margarine by mixing beef tallow with water and milk. He patented his creation, which he called oleomargarine, in 1869.

Early sales

In 1871, Mège-Mouriès sold the patent to a Dutch butter-making company. The first commercial cargo of margarine arrived in the UK in 1874.

Early restrictions

In the US, the dairy industry lobbied against margarine, fearing that butter sales would drop. In 1886, the Margarine Act was passed, imposing punitive fees against margarine manufacturers.

World War II

During World War II, shortages of fats and rationing of butter led many consumers to try margarine.

1950s

The Margarine Act of 1950 overturned many of the legal restrictions initially placed on margarine sales. By 1950, margarine manufacturers in the US had almost completely switched to vegetable oils and fats.