My Ghee Love Story
- Elena Toma
- Apr 17, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 19, 2024
Ever since i started studying Ayurveda, more than one year ago, i stumbled upon a lot of limiting beliefs that, (i found out in time), i had as strong life principles, some of them which i carried with me for more than 20 years, since i first started my "healthy eating, healthy living " journey. One of the challenging relationships that i always had was the one with the oil content/fat. 20 years ago, the minimalist amount of information on the subject, together with the overwhelming power of marketing taking over the media in this side of the world (South East Europe) had me thrown into an extreme, black or white, fundamentalist, well desired and designed, war about what is right or wrong eating. I decided then, amongst other choices, to completely eliminate fat from my diet. Of course this has led me facing major physical and neurological imbalances throughout my life, however, this I will maybe share in another post.
This is an Ode to Ghee, God's nectar, the "ojas" elixir, the Ancient Veda's long kept secret.
In this part of the world Ghee was, and still is, considered more like a tabu, people don't really understand yet why they should clarify butter when they can just use it as it is and also, if you are a vegan, maybe you will not use it at all, but then again, this post is not for you.
SO, for the ones that still don't understand by now what's the big fuss about it, in simple words, Ghee is butter that has been clarified( separated ) from the milk solids that are harder to digest and rich in cholesterol.
Therefore, ghee has been used for thousands of years in the Ayurvedic tradition, from cooking to religious rituals, as it' s considered to be "the first and most essential of all foods" by the Vedas. According to a Vedic analogy, "ghee is hidden in milk like the Divine Lord in creation".
Ghee is the symbol of healing and nourishment, it is considered to have sattvic energy, which means it supports the body inside-out, it gives strength to the mind and brilliance to the soul, during various religious offerings ceremonies.
The benefits of replacing Ghee with any other cooking oil are numerous, just to name a few:
because of its detoxifying and penetrating qualities and its 'carrier' nature ("pana "), Ghee is one of the most important components of the Panchakarma cleansing treatments, being used for internal and external body oleation "Snehapana", and "Abhyanga", having the goal of pushing the toxins( "ama") inside out ;
it protects and increases immunity, being the essence of all body tissues "ojas "
it has healing and regenerative properties, helping the body recovering from wounds and ulcers
because of the high amount of butyric acid in its composition( a short-chain fatty acid), it acts like a natural probiotic, supporting digestion, therefore increasing the Kapha property in the "Dhatus "(body building blocks),therefore, again, sustaining immunity in the body;
the ingestion of Ghee nourishes and protects the AGNI, the digestive functions of our body ( the digestive fire -more symbolic said ), which is basically the force of all metabolic action in our body, thanks to which, food feeds all the tissues and exits as residue, leaving the body and mind well and nourished .
Disclaimer :
Because of its oily, sweet and heavy nature, Ghee also increases Kapha Dosha, It is 99% fat, containing 112 calories per 1 tablespoon, 12.7 grams of pure fat, a bit of protein and no carbohydrates, fiber or sugar which means that excess consumption can lead to over-accumulation of mucus and fat in the body.
Coming back to " know yourself first " , which has been one of my stepping stones during my journey of approaching a more holistic and integrative way of living.The Ayurvedic Text states that one should only eat as much as your Agni can digest. So please check your body constitution first, before indulging in too much of this golden Elixir.
Now the way to prepare Ghee is simple, yet it could be turned into a ritual, a process in which you could practice the power of presence and intention, like this, infusing it with more healing, positive energy. It can be a moment of mantra chanting, maybe whispering a prayer, listening to some healing frequencies. It can turn it into a true meditation from which everybody can benefit from afterwards. It is proven fact that, whatever we think and feel becomes reality and there are complete studies that food, water or any kind of substance can channel and contain energy.
Like with anything in life we can choose to be more pragmatic and into-our-mind or we can choose to see the magic everywhere around us, either side is the right one, at the end of the day it all comes down to whatever works for you. I personally will always choose the magic side of the story, it simply makes life more playful and diverse.
So, for this recipe what we need is:
Once you place the butter on heat and it's starting to melt you have to lower your temp to the minimum making sure as much as possible to not over-burn it. In this process you will see that the milk solids will settle to the bottom of the pan and also some will rise as a milky foam at the surface. Gently, skim the foam with a spoon, trying as much as possible to not take away too much oil content also. The end of the process should leave you with a golden, clear, oily substance rich in healthy fats and nutrients, the most hydrating, longevity- elixir that you can find, ever since the ancient texts :
"Tongue of the Gods." Navel of immortality"
We will proclaim the name of ghee;
We will sustain it in this sacrifice by bowing low.
These waves of ghee flow like gazelles, before the hunter...
Streams of ghee caress the burning wood,
Agni the fire loves them and is satisfied. "
Rig Veda
How to store Ghee:
Once it's cooled down, you can filter it using either plain cotton cloth or a piece of cheesecloth, and seal it into a clean jar, placed in a cold dry place, away from heat and humidity.
Normally, Ghee is not susceptible to bacteria or mold growing, however during the warmer months, sometimes it can happen. Refrigerating it is not an ideal solution either, simply because with each use, the simple couple of seconds change of the temperature, can cause condensation, therefore, accumulation of water drops inside the lid. And we want to avoid any humidity inside. This also applies for putting dirty kitchen utensils inside. Even a droplet of foreign substance can cause your Ghee alteration and change of the quality.
So please handle your Ghee with care.
Of course that you can also choose the easier way out and buy it directly from one of the online organic shops, your Indian local store, etc, nowadays we do have plenty of options available, and we can agree that on these busy times we don't always have the energy to cook for ourselves or to meal-prep. Even if, back in the days, I was a big fan of the " No Excuses " book, written by Brian Tracy, i realised during the years that burning out my body and integral nervous system just to prove that "i can do it" , no matter what, is not necessarily a success story.
In the end, it all comes down to BALANCE. ALWAYS.
Main idea is that, ever since i started incorporating Ghee in my daily meals, especially in those cold months during winter time, i have seen wonderful changes in my digestion and elimination, my skin complexion, the hydration levels of my body are higher, inside out, less pain in my bones, it was all for the best.
I wish you well.
Inspirational:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJHqaQgVz0o, this is a glimpse into the traditional ghee-making process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WGsABbKdyc, this is a more simple process, the exact same process that everybody can do at home nowadays.
Resources :
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