O-M-Gheeee

                Recently I have see ghee popping up all over my Instagram page, pinterest reel, and incorporated in a variety of different recipes. I thought this was a little interesting, but it wasn’t until my older sister told me she was going to start buying ghee and her explanation of what she thought that ghee was, I knew I had to step in. So what is Ghee, who is eating Ghee, and should you be eating Ghee too? Let me explain.

Ghee is a form clarified butter. What is clarified butter, you might ask? I learned about clarified butter during my Organization and Administration of Foodservice class. We were required to work in the dining halls and we took a stroll in the bakery department where they had just finished making rolls. There was a large stainless steel container, similar to what you see soup being served out of at buffets, with a ladle. They pulled out this completely golden, orange looking liquid and were brushing the tops of the buns. We were intrigued and learned this was clarified butter. It is made when butter is melted down and the milk fats are skimmed off the top leaving a pure fat source. It is commonly used in diners and restaurants on their flat tops because the milk solids, which contain the sugar lactose, are removed giving it the buttery flavor without burning.

 

Ghee is extremely common in Indian Cuisine and is processed differently than clarified butter but the food properties remain the same. Ghee gained popularity in the United States because it is a lactose free fat source. So those who are unable to enjoy dairy products had an alternative to butter their bread. Most recently dairy free, high fat, high protein diets such as Paleo and Ketogenic diets promote the consumption of ghee as an alternative to butter.

I am never going to be the person to tell you not to eat something. That being said if you are turning to Ghee as a healthier alternative to butter or another fat source, you will not find it. Like I said the chemical structure of ghee is similar to that of butter only the milk solids have been removed, but the same saturated fats (62%). Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and contain unhealthy cholesterol. To compare, olive oil is completely unsaturated containing healthy cholesterol.

So in conclusion, if you are hoping to create an Indian feast to it’s entirety – use Ghee. If you are spreading it on butter in hopes of being healthier, I would choose another option. My number one rule of thumb when it comes to fats is liquid at room temp to ensure that you are getting unsaturated fats and healthy forms of cholesterol.