"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

Hyppocrates

I came to learn about ghee during my various Ayurvedic retreats and cooking classes in Sri Lanka and India. As you can probably guess, it originated in ancient India and Pakistan and is commonly used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in traditional medicine, for religious rituals as well as various beauty treatments. It was originally discovered because by separating all the other components, the pure butter fat could be kept much longer.

Several communities outside the Indian subcontinent make ghee:

Egyptians make a product called samna baladi, meaning "countryside ghee" identical to ghee in terms of process and result, but commonly made from water buffalo milk instead of cow milk, and white in color. Ghee is also used as a medicine and to deal with cold and flu in the cuisine of Mongolia and various communities in the Horn of Africa. Tesmi is the clarified butter prepared in Eritrea. The preparation is similar to that of ghee but the butter is oftentimes combined with garlic and other spices. In Ethiopia, it is used in much the same way as ghee, but with spices added during the process that result in distinctive tastes. Ghee is also used in North Africa, northeastern Brazil and even in Switzerland and its bordering areas. Here, butter was rendered in the old days to preserve the product for several months without refrigeration. "Boiled butter", as it is commonly called, is used extensively to finish a typical dish of Rösti, the Swiss version of hash browns. It gives the dish a distinct flavor in baked goods as a substitute for fresh butter to enhance flavor.

You can see that it is a very versatile product and you can either make it yourself or buy it in any Indian, Asian or Middle Eastern or organic grocery store.

But what is ghee? Simply put, it is a class of clarified butter. It is the pure butter fat which has been separated from water, milk protein and milk sugar meaning it is lactose free and healthier than regular butter :-) Ops, I already gave away one secret!

According to the Indian traditional medicine Ayurveda, ghee has healing effects on our bodies. So let's dive into some of these healing effects and other secrets:

10 secrets about the magical power of ghee, the golden goddess

#1 Rich in essential, health-boosting vitamins, minerals and nutrients such as vitamin A, E, K2, omega 3 and 9

#2 Has a detoxifying (physically and emotinally) and anti-inflammatory effect and heals and repairs digestion and the digestive tract

#3 Improves your memory and nourishes and protects the brain

#4 Has a positive effect on your cholesterol and triglyceride levels

#5 Increases your metabolism

#6 Soothes dry skin

#7 Great for cooking and baking: high smoke point and tastes great

#8 Is naturally lactose free

#9 Enhances the natural effects of herbs

#10 It is deeply rejuvenating, powerfully health boosting and has an out of this world flavor

Did you know: many Ayurvedic practitioners consider ghee to be such a supreme health tonic that it is often recommended, in small doses, as the first food given to a newborn child, even before breast milk in order to help kick start digestion, seed the body with life force and supply deeply nourishing nutrients for building a healthy brain and nervous system.

Okay now that you are in love with ghee, let me share what you should look out for when buying it:

• most importantly, it should come from 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised cows

• ideally it is organic or biodynamic

• it should always be packaged in glass jars for maximum freshness and potency

So now, let's talk about how you can use ghee:

• I heard that extreme ghee lovers eat it straight out of the jar as a calming and nourishing snack

• you can use it in place of most cooking oils as well as for baking (instead of butter) and it is great for sauteeing too

• put it on toast or bread as a substitute for butter

• apply as skin lotion for deep moisture

• use it medically as prescribed by Ayurveda

For the brave ones of you that like to make it yourself, here is a super simple recipe I can recommend.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and are now inspired and enthusiastic about ghee and its amazing health benefits! Happy experimenting, cooking and eating :-)