The Bear season 3 has viewers wondering what, exactly, Orwellian butter is — and why it costs so much money. In the third outing of the hugely popular Emmy-winning series, Carmy Berzatto’s (Jeremy Allen White) family restaurant more closely resembles a Michelin-starred restaurant than an Italian sandwich shop. While The Bear‘s kitchen lingo and slang remains mostly familiar to returning viewers, season 3 introduces a few new product names, including Orwellian butter. For Carmy, the butter is one of many things he isn’t willing to compromise on when it comes to making The Bear a top-notch restaurant.

With The Bear‘s cast of characters still often at-odds — Carmy and his “cousin,” Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), still haven’t fully repaired their relationship — Carmy’s nonnegotiables and insistence on using only the finest ingredients causes continued strife. An incredibly chaotic first month of service only proves that Carmy’s sky-high ideas and standards aren’t necessarily the best way forward for the burgeoning fine-dining restaurant. Although The Bear‘s Orwellian butter is just one of the items driving up the restaurant’s expenses, it certainly remains one of the most memorable details.

Orwellian Butter Is The Rarest & Most Luxurious Butter In America

Made In Orwell Vermont, The Butter Is A Reference To A Real-Life Product

In The Bear season 3, the so-called Orwellian butter is supposedly the rarest and most luxurious product of its kind. Understandably, Carmy’s Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) is upset when he learns that the restaurant is spending an obscene amount of money on said butter, which hails from Old Major Farm — a snide reference to George Orwell’s dystopian novel Animal Farm. In a sense, the Orwellian butter is one of The Bear‘s many cameos, as it seems to be a fictionalized version of Animal Farm Creamery’s prized butter. In real-life, Animal Farm Creamery’s butter comes from Orwell, Vermont.

What Makes Orwellian Butter So Different From Other Types Of Butter

The Animal Farm Creamy Butter Is Thomas Keller’s Choice

While Uncle Jimmy mockingly wonders if the butter comes from “a rare Transylvanian goat,” Carmy insists that its worth the price tag. Evidently, the rarest butter in the country is a go-to for fine dining restaurants — and that’s part of what makes it so costly and hard to find. Prized by James Beard Award winners and Michelin-starred kitchens alike, the real-life Animal Farm Creamery butter is favored by chef Thomas Keller, who owns the three-Michelin-star French Laundry in Napa County. Cultured but not salted, the Orwell, Vermont-made butter is perfect in its simplicity.

Orwellian Butter’s Price Explained: Why It Costs So Much

Animal Farm Creamery Butter Costs $60 Per Pound

In The Bear season 3, Uncle Jimmy can’t quite believe the bill for the Orwellian butter. According to the tab from Old Major Farm, Carmy spent a staggering $11,000 on The Bear‘s Orwellian butter. The real-life Animal Farm Creamery butter also goes for a wild amount of money — $60 per pound. Whenever more butter drops, it sells out within minutes. This, of course, adds to the rarity and perceived value of the butter, which, in turn, drives prices higher. Long story short, the prized butter is so expensive because top chefs swear by it.