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If you think that ghee is ordinary butter, only melted, then you are deeply mistaken. In reality, these are two different products. They differ in consistency, taste, aroma and even chemical composition, which ultimately affects the benefits of the product. So which butter is healthier: butter or ghee?
What is ghee?
Ghee is a product obtained as a result of thermal exposure to butter. Under the influence of high temperature and as a result of certain manipulations, the milk compound, water and impurities are removed from the base product. Properly prepared ghee has an amber color and a light nutty flavor. Unlike cream, a melted product has a longer shelf life and, according to many, amazing beneficial properties.
Ghee since ancient times used in Russia. Even our great-grandmothers regularly prepared this product, but nowadays it has been superseded by other dairy products (and I must say, not always the most useful). However, ghee was known not only in Russia. It has been valued in India since ancient times, but it is called ghee or liquid gold. And unlike us, Indians more actively use it in cooking, cosmetology and traditional medicine.
How is ghee different from butter?
Many mistakenly believe that butter consists solely of fat. In fact, this product is a combination of three substances: water, fat and protein. But if the creamy product is melted, the fat will easily separate from the remaining components. And this “peeled” fat is the same melted butter. That is, pure fat. Such a product is suitable for adding to cooked foods or for frying. It is good to add to vegetable stews. Of spices, ginger, turmeric, zira, black pepper go well with it.
Ghee can be heated without fear to almost 200 degrees, without fear that carcinogens are formed in it or that it will burn. The product does not give foam and smoke in the process of frying, and it is stored much longer than the usual creamy. By the way, store ghee can be very long. It is believed that it will not lose its properties even after several months of storage at room temperature or for several years in a cool place. True, Ayurveda supporters call more impressive figures. They claim that ghee will not deteriorate even after 100 years of storage. Moreover, the Indians believe that the longer it is to keep the ghee, the more useful it becomes.
From a scientific point of view, the long shelf life of a product can be explained by the absence of proteins in it. It is in proteins that bacteria settle, causing food spoilage. There is no protein in melted butter, and bacteria do not survive in pure fats.
The secret of the nutty flavor is explained by the technology of production of ghee. While the creamy product is boiled to remove water, the proteins and impurities contained in it burn slightly and give the butter a delicate-nut flavor.
How to cook at home
Today, ghee is a product of industrial production. But the inscription on the label “ghee” – this is not a guarantee that the package is the same product, which was prepared once in Russia. Unreliable manufacturers for it can take expired cream bases or add vegetable fats to it. And this is not at all what the buyer expects. Therefore, it is safer and cheaper to cook ghee with your own hands at home.
For cooking ghee, you can take any fresh creamy product, including a little salted. In the process of digestion, impurities will still separate. After boiling, the molten liquid splits into three parts. Above forms a foam containing casein (milk protein). Water with impurities contained in the “source” product will sink to the bottom of the vessel. Amber-golden suspension between the upper and lower layers – this is pure fat. And all that remains to be done: remove the foam and gently drain the melted fat into a clean vessel, leaving water with sediment.
Some people use a different method to separate fat – freezing. After cooling, the entire mass is sent to the freezer. Then the top layer with foam is collected and solid oil is separated from water. By the way, the taste of milk is preserved in the collected foam, so economical housewives do not throw it away, but use it to flavor some dishes.
Russian and Indian ghee: what is the difference
Although “at the exit” in both cases, the same product is obtained, but in Russia and in India it was prepared using different technologies.
According to Indian technology, before heating the butter, it must be kept warm for about 2 hours. Then put in a pan (only non-aluminum) with a wide bottom and put on a small fire. The most important thing in work is to remove the pan from the fire in time. If this is done earlier, then the product will not have time to clear itself of impurities, if you overdo it, then pure fat will get a very strong caramel smell. To make the ghee spicy, you can put Indian spices wrapped in gauze in a saucepan with butter. In the process of cooking, the suspension first becomes covered with foam and begins to boil slowly, then change color to golden. And only when the product becomes transparent, and the boiling will be accompanied by a quiet crackle, we can assume that the ghee is almost ready. It remains only to strain the fat through a fine sieve, the bottom of which additionally lay down with gauze, folded in several layers. After complete ghee cooling, you can strain again and pour into the vessel in which the product will be stored (it is better to take a sterilized dry jar).
In the culinary book of Helen Molokhovets described another method of cooking ghee. It is his, as researchers believe culinary history, used in Russia. This method was used in Russia up to the beginning of the twentieth century. According to the Russian technology, 1 kg of butter and 10 glasses of water should be mixed in a saucepan, then put the vessel on a small fire and bring the mixture to a uniform consistency. After that, the pan had to be placed in the cold, and after hardening the oil in its bottom, make a hole and drain the water. Then repeat the whole process again. And to do so until the drained water is crystal-clear. After that, the resulting melted butter was salted, put in pots, covered with a wet rag and poured with rapa on top. This product was stored in cellars until 4 years.
I must say that today the Russian method of preparing a ghee is not very popular. If the housewives cook it themselves, then most likely they get Indian ghee. True, some researchers strongly disagree that ghee and ghee are identical products. Adherents of this theory claim that only Tibetan monks prepare ghee at an altitude of more than 7 km above sea level. And there, according to the laws of physics, the boiling point of oil is much lower than in other regions. This means that only in the highlands during the heating process it will be possible to remove unnecessary impurities, but not to kill useful enzymes. Therefore, Tibetan ghee is credited with powerful healing properties. It is said that monks use it even for embalming. It is believed that the older the Tibetan ghee, the more useful it is. By the way, a product from Tibet can be bought, but it costs fabulously expensive.
Nutritional characteristics
Ghee contains very few saturated (harmful to humans) fats. As a rule, this indicator does not exceed 8% of the total mass. Most lipids in ghee are unsaturated fatty acids, among which there is also a very useful linoleic acid (responsible for the proper formation and growth of cells).
But even ghee is not just lipids. In addition to fat, the product also contains fat-soluble vitamins A, E and D. By the way, after melt, their percentage in the product only increases (due to the elimination of water and other components). The mineral panel in the product is represented by potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and iron.
Benefits for the body
Ghee is an unusual product. Its chemical structure is significantly different from most animal fats. Ghee consists of a large amount of unsaturated fats. This type of lipid is considered the most beneficial for the human body. Unsaturated fats are essential for a person to maintain the health of most organs and tissues. These same substances are indispensable when it comes to the production of sex hormones. In addition, ghee is useful for people with thyroid dysfunctions and prone to allergies. Being cleared of lactose and milk proteins, it is suitable for people with lactose intolerance.
In Ayurveda, the ancient Indian treatise on health, clarified butter is referred to as a product with many healing properties, as well as an anti-aging agent. Having studied the chemical composition of ghee, it becomes clear why the Indians thought so. It’s all about antioxidant vitamins. Vitamins A and E have long been known to science as substances that neutralize free radicals. These vitamins are known both in medicine and in cosmetology, like the vitamins of youth. In folk medicine, ghee is considered very useful for young children. Being a source of vitamin D, it can protect babies from rickets, and adults – from osteoporosis. Ghee is an important product for vision, as it contains some reserves of vitamin A.
Although the set of vitamins in melted butter is not the most impressive (there are products with richer composition), but you can talk about the beneficial properties of ghee for a very long time. This product is useful for all systems of the human body. It stimulates digestion, strengthens the immune system and nerve cells, supports the brain, protects blood vessels and the heart, and even strengthens bone tissue.
Use in folk medicine
In Hindu practice, oil is often used as a tool that speeds up the transportation of drugs through the body. For example, to speed up the effect of herbal infusions, add a little ghee to them. Hindus believe that this way you can catalyze any homeopathic remedy.
Many traditional healers advise you to use ghee to treat migraines, joint pain, or lower back pain. With radiculitis or arthritis, it is good to rub the sore spots with a mixture of ghee and gum. In the absence of appetite in children, it is useful for them to give a little ghee. In ancient times, this product was used to strengthen immunity. In Russia, an immunomodulating agent was prepared from equal parts of honey, nuts, ghee, dried fruits and fermented baked milk. This vitamin mix was advised to be taken every morning for 14 days. Traditional healers have an effective recipe against viral diseases. During epidemics, they advise every morning to take a small amount of ghee, to which add a little cardamom, saffron or fennel. Another way to protect yourself from airborne diseases is to grease your nostrils with ghee. For colds, it is useful to thoroughly rub the breast with this product, and then drink a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of ghee. When coughing, it is good to drink nogogol-mogul, in which instead of ordinary butter put ghee. To treat sinusitis, traditional healers advised to instill 3 drops of liquid ghee in the nose twice a day (after the procedure, it is necessary to lie down for 10 minutes).
Harm and side effects
Ghee is a very high-calorie product. The nutritional value of 100 g ghee is practically 900 kcal. Abuse of such a product (especially against the background of consumption of other fatty and high-calorie foods) can cause problems with the work of the pancreas, liver, gall bladder, and of course, obesity. Ghee is an undesirable product in the diet of people with diabetes, overweight, gout, and some cardiac diseases. A safe portion is considered to be 4-5 teaspoons of ghee per week.
Use in cosmetology
It is known that ghee, especially when combined with aloe juice, is useful for skin care. This tool promotes skin regeneration, slows down its aging, nourishes and moisturizes. To moisturize and maintain skin tone it is useful to make masks based on ghee. For example, you can mix mashed potatoes, turmeric, ghee and the finished gruel applied to your face for 15-20 minutes. This and other ghee-containing masks are useful for smoothing fine wrinkles. When overcooling, it is helpful to eat some ghee (as the product has a warming effect) and rub it on supercooled areas of the body. By the way, ghee can be used as a natural alternative to hand creams, body or face.
Ghee is the perfect choice for fried foods. It does not foam, does not burn, and under the influence of high temperature its chemical composition does not deteriorate. This product is known for its many beneficial properties (sometimes it may seem that some of them are even exaggerated). But it is not for nothing that at different times in different countries, clarified butter was compared with gold and called one of the most useful products.