Indian Culture

Ghee

Ghee is butterfat with the water and milk solids cooked out, India's main cooking fat.1,2,3,4,5,6 Simmering gives it a nutty taste.3,4,5

Also known as Clarified butter

Ghee is clarified butter: butter is melted and heated slowly until the water has boiled off; the milk solids stay at the bottom of the pan and the clear butterfat is poured off.1,3,5,6,7,8,9 This gives ghee a nutty taste.3,4,5 It is made from cow's milk butter, and in India often from buffalo milk too.1,3,5,10,11 According to Britannica, ghee is the most widely used food in India after wheat and rice; many dishes need it, and it matters greatly in Hindu ceremonies and for lighting holy lamps.1,3,5,8 Without water and milk solids it does not go rancid as quickly as butter and keeps for several months unrefrigerated.2,5,12 The Amul, GRB and Khanum packs state 99.7 to 99.8 percent fat.10,11,13

What is ghee made of?

Butter, usually from cow's milk and in India often from buffalo milk, simmered until the water has boiled off and the milk solids stay behind. What remains is almost pure milk fat: the Amul, GRB and Khanum packs state 99.7 to 99.8 percent fat.1,3,4,5,10,11,13

What is ghee called in the UK?

Simply ghee: British dictionaries such as Cambridge and Oxford list the word, and Cambridge explains it as clarified butter used in South Asian cooking. English has used it since 1665, from Hindi ghī and Sanskrit ghṛta.6,7,8,9,14

Recipes with Ghee

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Sources

  1. Britannica Editors. (2026). ghee. In Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  2. Britannica Editors. (n.d.). butterfat. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  3. Davidson, A. (2014). ghee. In The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press.
  4. Codex Alimentarius Commission. (1973). Codex Standard for Milkfat Products (CODEX STAN 280-1973). FAO/WHO.
  5. Sserunjogi, M. L., Abrahamsen, R. K., & Narvhus, J. A. (1998). A Review Paper: Current Knowledge of Ghee and Related Products. International Dairy Journal, 8(8), 677–688.
  6. Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). ghee. In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  7. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). ghee. In Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  8. Platts, J. T. (1884). ghī. In A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English (p. 940). Digital Dictionaries of South Asia, University of Chicago.
  9. Digital Dictionaries of South Asia, University of Chicago. (n.d.). ghī. In The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary (p. 289). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  10. Indian Culture: Amul Ghee: ingredients and nutrition on the pack.
  11. Indian Culture: GRB Ghee: ingredients and nutrition on the pack.
  12. Spritzler, F. (2024). Ghee: Is It Healthier Than Regular Butter? Healthline. Healthline Media.
  13. Indian Culture: Khanum Ghee: ingredients on the pack.
  14. Oxford University Press. (n.d.). ghee. In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved October 6, 2026.

Cite this entry

MLA

“Ghee.” Indian Culture Glossary, Indian Culture, https://www.indian-culture.de/en/glossar/ghee.

Chicago

Indian Culture Glossary, s.v. “Ghee,” https://www.indian-culture.de/en/glossar/ghee.

APA

Indian Culture. (n.d.). Ghee. In Indian Culture glossary. https://www.indian-culture.de/en/glossar/ghee