Unlocking the Goodness of Ghee: How This Ancient Ingredient is Making a Modern Comeback

Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is made from the milk of cow or buffalo and is used widely in South Asian cuisines from ancient times and also it has been used in coffee to enhance the taste and balance the bitterness of coffee.

History of Ghee

In relation to the background and origination, ghee has always been praised by the people of India and various other civilisations that were situated in India. In Hindu mythology from hundreds of years ago, it is even mentioned that a legend, the lord of animals, Prajapati, rubbed his palms together to produce the first batch of ghee, which he then put over a fire to create his offspring.

Ghee is still added to holy flames by devout Hindus today, who consider it a fortunate gesture suitable for funerals and weddings. There have been apparent differences which have also been said in Vedic cooking that food which has been cooked with ghee was nutritionally more valuable and healthy, while food that had not been cooked with it was seen to have lesser nutritional content and reduced all the good qualities of food.

Uses in Hinduism

There has been great proof of the uses of ghee in Hinduism and the spiritual practices that were performed and trusted by all the devotees of the religion. In the traditional way, it has been made from cow milk or water buffalo milk and has been made since Vedic times. Various devotees to Hinduism and all the believers practised providing it through the medium of fire in various “Yagnas” to satisfy the deities they are worshipping. Further, the various fire rituals also include marriage and funerals, which have been used widely for “Aarti” or “Diya” to offer prayers to God.

Later in spiritual practices, ghee, along with mishri, honey, milk and dahi, are used to bathe the deities in their various appearances during a specific holy time of the year. In Mahabharat, there is a saying that “Kauravas” were born from pots of ghee with the mythological aspects that the book provides. One problem was that butter went terribly quickly in India’s warm environment; hence, in order to counter this, humans started clarifying butter, which increased its shelf life.

Culinary uses in India

In India, ghee is widely used by almost every household to make dishes or garnish ready dishes for extra flavours. The dishes in the Indian subcontinent, notably those with traditional rice preparations like biryani and Pulao, often use ghee. Indian flatbreads, or polis, are served with ghee in Maharashtra and also in Northern parts of India such as Punjab and Haryana. For instance, plenty of ghee is used when eating “Puranpoli,” a typical Maharashtrian meal, while it is typically served with baati in Rajasthan, and it is superior to roti in North India. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, kesari bhath and dosa are best served with it.

Khichdi is a traditional evening meal of rice and lentils cooked in a curry made from yoghurt (dahi), cumin seeds, curry leaves, cornflour, turmeric, garlic, salt, and ghee in Gujarat and Bengal. In South Indian cooking, ghee is frequently used to cook rice dishes and desserts and to temper curries. Rice is traditionally eaten with pickles and curries after being topped with it, according to South Indian customs. One of the largest groups of ghee consumers is South Indians. It is mainly used by the people of Andhra Pradesh to prepare both savoury and sweet foods.

Nutritional value and Health Benefits

Ghee remains a nutritious option for cooking because of its outstanding nutritional profile. Despite popular belief, this golden-coloured and smooth-textured saturated fat contains a lot of essential vitamins, including A, D, E, and K, which are known to support immunity and general health. Moreover, antioxidants in ghee support cellular health by thwarting free radical damage. Its high-fat content also facilitates more significant absorption of fat-soluble elements. According to studies, ghee usage in moderation may even lower cholesterol and promote heart health as it’s rich nutritional content makes it a valuable supplement to a well-balanced diet in addition to being a flavourful culinary companion.

Ghee is a beneficial complement to any diet due to its capacity to increase metabolism and promote digestive health and this has short-chain fatty acids, which help to speed up metabolism even though it is a saturated fat. These fats are quickly converted to energy and readily absorbed by the body, which helps to accelerate the metabolic process. Moreover, butyric acid, a healthy fatty acid that is essential for maintaining intestinal health, is abundant in ghee. As a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory, butyric acid helps to improve the lining of the digestive tract and relieve ailments, including leaky gut syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome.

Various processes to make it

There are various methods of making and here are some of the most famous methods used worldwide in making ghee: 

Heat clarification

The most commonly used method is the heath clarification method of making ghee. In this method, butter is taken into a saucepan, and gently, it is provided with heat in the simmer region of our gas stoves. Within some time, there will be three layers formed slowly when the butter melts. The first layer will be the most visible layer, which is foam, and the other layer will be milk residue underneath the liquid, and between these two will be a golden brown liquid that is ghee. Later, it has been strained carefully as the whole thing cools down, and it is kept airtight in a container.

Bilona technique

The Thai technique is the oldest technique of making ghee and has been used since Vedic times to make it while keeping all the nutritional content in it. It is different in colour than ghee made from any other technique. First, in this technique, the curd is taken in an earthen pot, and a wooden churner is taken, which is called “Bilona” With the use of it, the curd is transformed into fermented butter or “Makkhan”, and it is done with continuous churning of curd for a long time.

Then, the liquid above was strained, which is called buttermilk, and the remaining solid white substance was heated in a container until it melted and turned golden brown. Then, it was strained and stored in a container for further use.

Direct cream method

This method requires cream which contains at least 60-70% fat content and it has been separated using centrifugation from milk. Then the cream is boiled in a ghee boiler to a temperature of 110-120°C for the cream to melt and turn golden yellow. Further the residue were then strained using separators and liquid strainers and the golden yellow liquid were then stored into airtight containers to use for a long time.

Why is it getting the limelight in modern times?

In Vedic times, people used to consume food that was nutritionally valuable and organic, and for cooking oil, they used to take ghee made from natural processes for which they had a great life span enjoyed by almost everyone before the 90s in the Indian subcontinent. With the exposure to Western culture, where they have provided various substitutes for ghee and have brainwashed Indians, saying that it is an unsaturated fat and is harmful to the body.

Until they were introduced to oil made from other substances, such as sunflower, rice bran and olive oil, which was also a good substitute with extra nutritional benefits. Further, with the rising cost, these subsidiary products were counterfeited and made with different harmful chemicals, and due to the habit of people consuming these products, they almost forgot about ghee, which was much cheaper to make and is a lot more beneficial than other subsidiary oils. Hence, with the increase of diseases and people trying to live a healthy life, they certainly understood the better benefits of it, which regained the popularity of Indians to be used in cooking as the primary oil.

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