The word ghee shares an ancient root with the English word Christ
Ghee comes from the Sanskrit ghṛta, clarified butter, traditionally linked to a root meaning to sprinkle. That makes it a linguistic cousin of the Greek khristós, anointed, source of the English Christ. In South Asia the golden fat has fed both kitchens and sacred fires since Vedic times.
Ghee is clarified butter from the Indian subcontinent, usually made from the butter of cows or water buffalo. Cooks simmer the butter, skim off impurities, then pour away the clear golden fat and leave behind the solids that sink to the bottom. Spices are sometimes added. Its colour, texture and flavour depend on the milk, the quality of the butter and how long it is boiled. Prized for a nutty taste, it also tolerates high heat without burning thanks to its high smoke point.
Its religious role is ancient. Vedic fire rituals, the yajña and homa, require ghee as an offering carried to the gods through Agni, the fire, and such rituals mark marriages and funerals. Worshippers light ghee lamps in the aarti ceremony and mix it with honey, milk, curd and sugar to bathe deities on festivals such as Janmashtami. There is a hymn devoted to it, and in the Mahabharata the Kaurava brothers are born from pots of ghee. Buddhist texts use the stages of dairy-making as a metaphor for enlightenment, and the highest stage is thought to be ghee.
In the kitchen it turns up almost everywhere. North Indians spread it on roti, stir it into rice and use it in place of oil for parathas, dals and curries; the region ranks among the heaviest consumers. Rajasthan pairs it with baati, Maharashtra with flatbreads, and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu serve it with dosa. It goes into biryani, into sweets such as Mysore pak, halva and laddu, and into temple food in Odisha. Restaurants often brush naan with it just before serving.
Different ghees suit different jobs. Cow's-milk ghee is traditional with rice or roti or drizzled over a finished dal, while buffalo ghee is more often used for everyday cooking. In the Bhojpuri region, cooks combine it with mustard oil and dip litti in it before eating.
Source: Ghee
