In culinary school, I learned that the French term for browned butter is "buerre noisette," which translates to "butter hazelnut." I think this encapsulates the flavor of the prized ingredient much better than the English terminology, which is strictly referring to its color and aesthetic, whereas the hazelnut references is instead commenting on the flavor itself. How a product that is strictly dairy-based somehow takes on nutty, warm, deep flavors just from a bit of heat being applied to it has always amazed me.
At some point within the past decade or so, brown butter truly became a "thing," gracing every possible food or food-adjacent publication or website with widespread appeal, sneaking into everything from burgers to brownies like a thief in the night. It's by no means a "new" product or discovery, though; Julia Child wrote about it extensively and used it in many recipes in her iconic, cherished tome "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."
