Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by
simmering butter, which is obtained by churning
cream, skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that settles at the bottom.
can be added for flavor. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter, the milk used in the process, and the duration of boiling.
Etymology
The word
ghee is borrowed from the Sanskrit word घी (
ghī), which comes from (
, ) 'clarified butter', from the root घृ, ghṛ-, 'to sprinkle';
[as contrasted with नवनीत, navanīta 'fresh butter': Carl Darling Buck, A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages, 1949, reprinted 1992 , p. 399, §5.89 'Butter'] it is
cognate with the
Ancient Greek word χριστός (khristós, 'rubbed, anointed'), from which the English word
Christ is derived.
In Hinduism
Traditionally, ghee is made from
bovine milk, either
Cattle or
water buffalo, and has been used in rituals since the
Vedic period. It is a sacred requirement in
Vedic Yagna and
homa (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 murti (divine deities), with aarti (offering of ghee lamp) called diyā or dīpa and for Pañcāmṛta (Panchamruta) where ghee along with mishri, honey, 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.[ Language and Style of the Vedic Rsis, Tatyana Jakovlevna Elizarenkova (C) 1995, p. 18.] In the Mahabharata, the Kaurava were born from pots of ghee.
Ghee is also used in bhang in order to heat the cannabis to cause decarboxylation, making the drink psychoactive.
In Buddhism, stages of dairy production are used as metaphors for stages of enlightenment. The highest-stage product, sarpir-maṇḍa, 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 bread are accompanied with ghee. For example, 'Puranpoli', a typical Maharashtrian dish is eaten with much ghee. In
Rajasthan, ghee often accompanies
baati. All over
North India,
roti is served with ghee. In
Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu, ghee is provided alongside dosa, and
kesari bhath. In
Bengal (both
West Bengal and
Bangladesh) and
Gujarat,
khichdi is a traditional evening meal of rice with
, cooked in a
curry made from dahi (curd),
cumin seeds,
Curry tree,
corn starch,
turmeric,
garlic, salt and ghee. It is also an ingredient in
kadhi and
Indian sweets, such as
Mysore pak, and varieties of
halva and
laddu.
Indian cuisine 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 Odia dishes such as
Khechedi and
Dalma. Particularly the
Sattvic diet food prepared in most temples in Odisha has ghee as a major ingredient in its culinary tradition. Ghee is used in South Indian cuisine for tempering curries and in the preparation of rice dishes and sweets. North Indians also add ghee to rice before eating it with pickles, dal and curries. North Indians are among the biggest consumers of ghee. Vegetarian dishes of
Andhra Pradesh especially use ghee for the preparation of savoury and sweet dishes alike. Ghee is important to traditional North Indian cuisine, with
Paratha, Dal 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 () is traditional with
rice or
roti or as a finishing drizzle atop a curry or
dal (lentils) whereas buffalo milk ghee is more typical for general cooking purposes.
Ghee is a useful Cooking oil for 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,
, and alcohols.
Along with the flavour of milk fat, the ripening of the
butter and the temperature at which it is
Clarified butter also affect the flavour. For example, ghee produced at or lower has a milder flavour, whereas results in a strong flavour.
Differences from clarified butter
The production of ghee differs slightly 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. 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][Iyer, Raghavan (2008). 660 Curries, p. 21. New York: Workman Publishing ][Jaffrey, Madhur (1982). Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, p. 211. London: BBC Books. ][Sahni, Julie (1998). Julie Sahni's Introduction to Indian Cooking, p. 217 under "usli ghee." Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ]
A traditional Ayurveda recipe for ghee is to boil raw milk and 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
.
Most commercial preparations in India were also found to contain significant amounts of
Trans fat.
It has negligible amounts of
lactose and
casein and is, therefore, acceptable to most people who have a lactose intolerance or milk allergy.
Ghee consumption has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.[ "Ghee from Maharishi Ayur-Ved" . quackwatch.org. Retrieved 25 September 2023.] The British Dietetic Association, British Nutrition Foundation, National Health Service, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and World Health Organization advise people to limit ghee consumption due to its high saturated fat content.[ "Top tips for good heart health" . nutrition.org.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2023.][ "Prevention" . nhs.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2023.][ "Heart Health" . bda.uk.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.][ "Dietary fats, oils and cholesterol" . heartandstroke.ca. Retrieved 22 October 2023.][ "Limit fat, salt and sugar intake" . emro.who.int. Retrieved 22 October 2023.]
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.
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,
Sour cream 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.
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
Redox, they should be protected from anything that causes it, such as
Ultraviolet 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
, 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 rupees 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.
See also
