Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals.

Description

Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from cream (traditionally made by churning the topmost layer of curd, which is also called the ''Bilona'' method), skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that has settled to the bottom. Spices can be added for flavor. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter, the milk source used in the process, and the duration of boiling time.

Etymology

The word ''ghee'' comes from sa, घृत (', ) 'clarified butter', from ''ghṛ-'' 'to sprinkle'. In Dravidian languages, it is also known as te, నెయ్యి '('neyyi''), ta, நெய் or துப்பகம் (''tuppakam''), ml, നെയ്യ് (''ney'') and kn, ತುಪ್ಪ ("thuppa'').

In Hinduism and Buddhism

Traditionally, ghee is always made from bovine milk either being from cow or water buffalo. Ghee has been used in rituals since the Vedic period and it is a sacred requirement in Vedic ''

yajña Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Book ...

'' and ''

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'' (fire rituals), through the medium of Agni (fire) to offer oblations to various deities (See: Yajurveda). Fire rituals are utilized for ceremonies such as marriage and funerals. Ghee is required in Vedic worship of '' mūrtis'' (divine deities), with ''

aarti ''Arti'' (Sanskrit: Ārātrika, Hindi: Ārtī) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of '' puja'', in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. ''Arti(s)'' also refers to the songs sung in praise of the d ...

'' (offering of ghee lamp) called'' diyā'' or ''dīpa'' and for ''Pañcāmṛta'' (

Panchamruta Panchamrita (, lit. ''five s'') is a mixture of five foods used in Hindu as well as Jain worship and puja and Abhiṣeka It is often used as an offering during pooja post which it is distributed as prasad. There are regional variations in t ...

) where ghee along with

mishri Rock candy or sugar candy, also called rock sugar, or crystal sugar, is a type of confection composed of relatively large sugar crystals. This candy is formed by allowing a supersaturated solution of sugar and water to crystallize onto a ...

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

, milk, and '' dahi'' (curd) is used for bathing the deities on the appearance day of Krishna on Janmashtami, ''Śiva'' ( Shiva) on ''Mahā-śivarātrī'' ( Maha Shivaratri). There is a hymn to ghee. In the '' Mahabharata'', the '' kaurava'' were born from pots of ghee. Finding ghee pure enough to use for sacred purposes is a problem these days for devout Hindus, since many large-scale producers add salt to their product. Ghee is also used in '' bhang'' in order to heat the cannabis to cause

decarboxylation Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. The reverse process, which is t ...

, making the drink

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. Th ...

. In Buddhist scripture, stages of dairy production are used as metaphors for stages of enlightenment. The highest-stage product,

sarpir-maṇḍa Sarpir-maṇḍa (Sanskrit: ) was a type of dairy product, from five stages of milk described in Hinduism and Buddhist texts. As in Buddhist texts Buddhist texts including ''Nirvana Sutra'' describes five stages of milk as an analogy to stage ...

, is theorised to be ghee or clarified butter.

Culinary uses

Ghee is common in cuisines from the Indian subcontinent, including traditional rice preparations (such as '' biryani''). In Maharashtra, polis or Indian breads are accompanied with ghee. For example, 'Puranpoli', a typical Maharashtrian dish is eaten with much ghee. In Rajasthan, ghee often accompanies ''

baati Baati is a hard, unleavened bread cooked in most of areas of Rajasthan, and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states of India. It is prized for its long shelf life and high nutritional content, and, in desert areas, for the minima ...

''. All over north India, ghee tops '' roti''. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, ghee tops

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, and kesari bhath. In Bengal (both West Bengal and Bangladesh) and Gujarat, '' khichdi'' is a traditional evening meal of rice with lentils, cooked in curry made from dahi (yogurt),

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) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

curry leaves, cornflour, turmeric,

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, salt and ghee. It is also an ingredient in '' kadhi'' and Indian sweets, such as '' Mysore pak'' and varieties of ''

halva Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made f ...

'' and '' laddu''. Indian restaurants typically incorporate large amounts of ghee, sometimes brushing '' naan'' and '' roti'' with it, either during preparation or just before serving. In the state of Odisha ghee is widely used in regional Odia cuisines such as ''Khechedi'' and ''Dalma''. Particularly the satwik type of food prepared in most temples in Odisha uses ghee as a major ingredient in their culinary tradition. Ghee is widely used in South Indian cuisine for tempering curries and in preparation of rice dishes and sweets. South Indians have a habit of adding ghee to their rice before eating it with pickles and curries. South Indians are among the biggest consumers of ghee. The people from Andhra Pradesh especially use ghee for preparation of savoury and sweet dishes alike. Ghee is important to traditional North Indian cuisine, with ''parathas, daals'' and curries often using ghee instead of oil for a richer taste. The type of ghee, in terms of animal source, tends to vary with the dish; for example, ghee prepared from cow's milk ( bn, গাওয়া ঘী, gaoa ghi) is traditional with rice or '' roti'' or as a finishing drizzle atop a curry or ''daal'' (lentils) whereas buffalo-milk ghee is more typical for general cooking purposes. Ghee is an ideal fat for deep frying because its smoke point (where its molecules begin to break down) is , which is well above typical cooking temperatures of around and above that of most vegetable oils.

Flavour

The main flavour components of ghee are carbonyls, free fatty acids, lactones, and

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s. Along with the flavour of milk fat, the ripening of the butter and temperature at which it is clarified also affect the flavour. For example, ghee produced by the clarification of butter at or less results in a mild flavour, whereas batches produced at produce a strong flavour.

Differences from clarified butter

Ghee differs slightly in its production from that of clarified butter. The process of creating clarified butter is complete once the water is evaporated and the fat (clarified butter) is separated from the

milk solids Powdered milk, also called milk powder, dried milk, or dry milk, is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and d ...

. However, the production of ghee includes simmering the butter, which makes it nutty-tasting and aromatic.Landis, Denise (2003)
All About Ghee
''New York Times - Food Chain''Jaffrey, Madhur (1982). Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, p. 211. London: BBC Books. A traditional

Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

recipe for ghee is to boil raw milk, let it cool to . After leaving it covered at room temperature for around 12 hours, add a bit of dahi (yogurt) to it and leave it overnight. This makes more yogurt. This is churned with water, to obtain cultured butter, which is used to simmer into ghee.

Nutrition and health

Like any clarified butter, ghee is composed almost entirely of fat, 62% of which consists of

saturated fat A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone and fatty acids that each contain a long linear or branched c ...

s. It is also rich in

oxidized cholesterol An oxysterol is a derivative of cholesterol obtained by oxidation involving enzymes and / or pro-oxidants. Such compounds play important roles in various biological processes such as cholesterol homeostasis, lipid metabolism (sphingolipids, fatty a ...

: 259 μg/g, or 12.3% of total cholesterol. It has negligible amounts of

lactose Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix '' - ...

and casein and is, therefore, acceptable to most who have a lactose intolerance or milk allergy.

Benefits

Without ghee, the source of high Nutrient-rich fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, and E, some studies suggest ghee is a must in winter. And It contains a good source of healing properties, fats, Energy that are most important for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and supporting brain function. Although, It is

-free and has low casein levels, making it easier to digest for lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy.

Outside the subcontinent

Several communities outside the Indian subcontinent make ghee.

Egyptians Egyptians ( arz, المَصرِيُون, translit=al-Maṣriyyūn, ; arz, المَصرِيِين, translit=al-Maṣriyyīn, ; cop, ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, remenkhēmi) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian ...

make a product called ''samna baladi'', meaning 'countryside butter', identical to ghee in terms of process and result, but commonly made from water buffalo milk instead of cow's milk, and white in color. The recipe is considered to have come from South Asia during ancient times of the Pharaoh as revealed in inscriptions and could be the result of Mitanni and Hittite kingdoms, which predate the existence of Greeks. Also, the darkened milk solids that are created during the process are considered a delicacy called ''morta'', which is a salty condiment used sparingly as a spread, or as an addition on fava dishes. Regular ''samna'' is also made from cow's milk in Egypt and is often yellowish. Ghee is also used by various peoples in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

. Tesmi (in Tigrinya language) is the clarified butter prepared in the country of

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

. The preparation is similar to that of ghee, but the butter is oftentimes combined with garlic and other spices found native to the area. In Ethiopia, ''

niter kibbeh ''Niter kibbeh'', or ''niter qibe'' ( am, ንጥር ቅቤ '), also called (in Tigrinya), is a seasoned, clarified butter used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. Its preparation is similar to that of ghee, but ''niter kibbeh'' is simmered wi ...

'' is used in much the same way as ghee, but with spices added during the process that result in distinctive tastes. In North Africa, Maghrebis take this one step further, ageing spiced ghee for months or even years, resulting in a product called ''

smen ''Smen'' (from ar, سمن or سمنة also called ''sman'', ''semn'', ''semneh'', or ''sminn'') is a salted, fermented butter, and a traditional Yemeni dish. In Yemen, Yemenis prepare a special version of ''semneh'' (سمنة) which is smoked wi ...

''. It's also common in Western Africa especially among the Hausa and Fulanis. It's called Manshanu meaning Cow's oil.

Preparation methods

There are five common methods through which ghee is prepared. Industrial preparation on the other hand is done by using "white butter", usually sourced from other dairies and contractors. Cream to get clarified butter home made

Milk butter

Sour raw milk is churned into butter. The butter is boiled in an open pan to allow the water to evaporate. The hot ghee is transferred and stored.

Direct cream

Fresh cream,

cultured Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tylor ...

or washed cream is directly converted to ghee. This method requires a long heating time and produces a caramelized flavor.

Cream butter

Milk is separated into cream which is then churned into butter. The butter undergoes heat clarification to produce ghee.

Pre-stratification

This method is suitable for large quantities of butter. Butter is melted at for 30 minutes. Layers of protein particles, fat and buttermilk are induced. The buttermilk is drained out. The remaining layers of fat are heated to a temperature of to remove moisture and develop flavor.

Traditional Ayurvedic recipe

A traditional

recipe for ghee is to boil raw milk, let it cool to . After leaving it covered at room temperature for around 12 hours, add a bit of dahi (yogurt) to it and leave it overnight. This makes more yogurt. This is churned with water, first to create butter milk then to obtain cultured butter, which is used to simmer into ghee.

Packaging

Ghee is generally found to be packaged in airtight glass jars. They should be kept away from direct sunlight as sunlight can cause moisture to build inside the jar. Moisture can cause deterioration to the ghee's quality as well as reduce its shelf life. To prevent the acceleration of the

oxidation process Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a d ...

, they should be protected from anything that causes it, such as UV rays from sunlight and fluorescent lights. If the jar is unopened, it does not need to be refrigerated as long as the previously mentioned conditions are met. Once opened, they can be stored in a kitchen cabinet for up to three months. Afterwards, it may be left in the refrigerator for up to a year. The refrigerator causes ghee to harden but if it is left at room temperature for a while, it will soften up again.

Composition

Ghee may be made of milk from various domesticated ungulates, such as cows, buffaloes and sheep. The composition of ghee varies depending on the animal whose milk has been used. The vitamin A content ranged from 315 to 375 μg per 100 grams. Palmitic acid and oleic acid were two of the main fatty acids found in both cow and sheep ghee. The saturated fatty acid profile was 53.9 to 66.8%, the unsaturated fatty acid profile was 22.8 to 38.0% and the other fatty acids was 3.5 to 10.4%. Cholesterol amounts ranged from 252 to 284 mg/100 grams.

Market

The market size of ghee in India is 10,000

crore A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...

s or US$1.5 billion as of 2016. India is the world's largest producer of buffalo and cow milk and consequently also the largest producer and consumer of ghee.

References

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