Fenomena ini sering dikatakan merupakan pepatah lama dari "negara bagian utara." (Amerika Serikat). Catatan tertulis dapat ditelusuri sampai pertengahan abad ke-19. Fenomena ini sering dikaitkan dengan sebuah puisi parodi karya James Payn dari tahun 1884:<ref>{{cite book|last1=Apperson|first1=George Latimer|title=Dictionary of Proverbs|date=2005|publisher=Wordsworth Editions Ltd.|location=Ware|isbn=1840223111|pages=69–70|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7PMZJqSR4sAC&dq=I%27ve+never+had+a+piece+of+toast+Particularly+long+and+wide%2C+But+fell+upon+the+sanded+floor%2C+And+always+on+the+buttered+side.&q=buttered+toast#v=onepage&q=buttered&f=false|accessdate=2015-04-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fgaUQc8NbTYC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=%C2%A0James+Payn+from+1884+butter+side+down&source=bl&ots=eUG4bkloJ2&sig=SAta2G677ttPbqmzrWIsGij9iIs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiE6L-pw7vUAhUR92MKHQOHAhcQ6AEIKjAB#v=onepage&q=%C2%A0James%20Payn%20from%201884%20butter%20side%20down&f=false|title=The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs|last=Manser|first=Martin H.|date=2007|publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]]|isbn=9780816066735|language=en}}</ref>
