Ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for Hindu religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that settles at the bottom. Spices can be added for flavour. The texture, colour, 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 Hindi word घी, which comes from 'clarified butter'; traditionally derived from the root घृ, ghṛ-, 'to sprinkle', and so cognate with the Ancient Greek word χριστός, from which the English word Christ is derived.In Hinduism
Traditionally, ghee is made from bovine milk, either cow or water buffalo, and has been used in rituals since the Vedic period. It is a sacred requirement in Vedic yajña and homa, through the medium of Agni to offer oblations to various deities.Fire rituals are utilised for ceremonies such as marriage and funerals. Ghee is required in Vedic worship of mūrtis, with aarti called diyā or dīpa and for Pañcāmṛta where ghee along with mishri, honey, milk, and dahi is used for bathing the deities on the appearance day of Krishna on Janmashtami, Śiva on Mahā-śivarātrī. There is a hymn to ghee. 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 Buddhist scripture, 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. In Maharashtra, polis or Indian flatbreads are accompanied with 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 and Gujarat, khichdi is a traditional evening meal of rice with lentils, cooked in a curry made from dahi, cumin seeds, curry leaves, cornflour, 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 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. The sattvic food prepared in most temples in Odisha has ghee as a major ingredient in its culinary tradition. Ghee is used in Indian cuisine">Indian cuisine">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 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 is traditional with rice or roti or as a finishing drizzle atop a curry or dal, whereas buffalo milk ghee is more typical for general cooking purposes.Ghee is a useful fat for deep frying because its smoke point 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 alcohols. Along with the flavour of milk fat, the ripening of the butter and the temperature at which it is clarified 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 is separated from the milk solids. However, the production of ghee includes simmering the butter, which makes it nutty-tasting and aromatic.A traditional Ayurvedic 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 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. One commercial preparation in India was found to contain significant amounts of trans fats, while others contained significantly less. 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. 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.