Literal Translation
You can’t have the butter and the money from selling it (and the milkmaid’s a**)
Actual Meaning
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
Etymology
There are so many variations on this one, but you get the idea.
In the 19th century, a social hierarchy was established based on the origin and freshness of butter, according to an article by rural geographer Claire Delfosse. The wealthiest families had the freshest butter possible on their tables. It was preferably made in Normandy, rich in flavour and, above all, low in salt – there was no Breton lobby yet. This was no easy task: the perishable product was difficult to transport in hot weather, and adding salt helped to preserve it.
The use of butter became more widespread after 1865 when Louis Pasteur invented his method of preservation, pasteurisation. Then, around the 1890s, the centrifugal cream separator made it easier to recover cream, which could now be done in an hour. This reduced production costs, making dairy products even more popular. Finally, the invention of refrigerated wagons allowed butter to be transported. Butter sticks thus conquered France, even dethroning lard and oil.
Many expressions are associated with this dairy product, I’ll add them for another day!