Bilona Ghee has been in use in India since times immemorial. This fragrant golden yellow clarified butter has been there in the average Indian kitchen much before we took a fancy to refined oils even before we started using vegetable oils for cooking.
It is used for cooking, frying, as a topping to enhance taste and even for massages, facial and other skin applications! Not just ancient Ayurveda, but the modern dieticians too extoll the virtues and nutritional properties of ghee.
Bilona Ghee Vs Normal Ghee: Which Ghee is Better?
The ghee industry is a fast-growing industry in India. Earlier, ghee was made in households itself, but this practice has diminished with time. Ghee is mostly bought from the local grocer or even ordered online.
Preparation Methods of Ghee
Since ancient times, ghee was made by setting curd in earthen pots and this was thereafter churned to obtain butter, which was consequently cooked to finally get the clarified liquid. However, with industrialization, huge quantities of ghee are obtained by automated machines. While the traditional process is time-consuming, the mechanized process is a whole lot quicker.
1. Traditional Bilona Method of Making Ghee
In the traditional or bilona ghee preparation is a manual and slow process. After boiling the milk of the desi cow to remove rawness and impurity, it is kept to cool down till it gets warm enough to make curd.
Milk is then poured into earthen pots and a curd starter is added to convert the milk into curd. The curd so prepared, is to be finally churned in a wooden pot with the help of a wooden churner or the “bilona” to obtain white butter.
In fact we all are quite familiar with the Janamashtami scenes of Lord Krishna’s childhood with gopis holding and moving the two ends of a rope to make butter. These are actually ropes wrapped around the bilona, to churn the curd clockwise and anti-clockwise continuously – a process which slowly yields white butter which is removed from the whey. This whey is in fact the butter milk or mattha.
Traditionally the extracted butter was placed on a wooden fire for low heating, which eventually caused the water to evaporate and milk solids to precipitate, leaving the relevant fat content, that was ghee.
2. Ghee Making from Malai or Cream
When milk is boiled and chilled overnight, thick cream forms at the top of the milk. This cream or malai is slowly collected and when a good amount is obtained, it is heated till the time reddish-brown precipitate separates from the golden ghee. Ghee is strained to separate it from the precipitate.
3. Industrial Ghee making
With the escalating demand for ghee, the industrial process is mechanized. Here, ghee is either taken from butter obtained from raw milk itself wherein the milk is churned very speedily with the help of motors to get butter, or else obtained from milk cream.
Difference Between Bilona Ghee Vs Cream Ghee Vs Industrial Ghee
Bilona ghee |
Malai or milk cream ghee |
Industrial ghee |
|
Churning Process |
Manual and slow | No churning | Mechanized and fast |
Life cycle |
Boiled Milk→ Curd→ White butter→ Ghee | Boiled milk→ Milk cream→ ghee | Raw Milk→ Butter→ Ghee |
Speed |
Slow process |
Fast process | Quickest process |
Use of milk |
Full milk is used |
Only milk cream is used | Only butter is used |
By-products |
At the time of churning the curd, butter and whey are obtained.The butter is used for ghee, the watery liquid or buttermilk is used as a nutritious drink |
At the time of boiling milk, the cream is formed. The cream is used for ghee, and milk is used as it is. | Raw milk is churned to separate butter out of it. The butter is used for ghee, and the liquid left is used as milk. |
Why Choose Bilona Ghee?- Benefits of Bilona Ghee
- The nutritional content of the bilona variety of ghee is more as compared to others. It contains a higher amount of vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acid DHA, omega-6 (CLA), and mono-saturated fatty acid (MUFA).
- Cow milk in itself, especially of an Indian breed, is rich in essential vitamins and other nutrients. Cow ghee is ideal for physical and mental well-being, thus Ayurveda recommends it.
- Bilona ghee improves digestion, prevents constipation, moisturizes the skin, and strengthens the bones. It is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial and is widely used in herbal preparations.
- Ghee made from cream is not as easily digestible as bilona ghee. For the little ones, in particular, bilona ghee is preferable.
- The bilona variety is a lot tastier and aromatic perhaps because it is made through traditional means and preserves all the original nourishment of ghee.
Also Read –
Adding ghee to your dal or halwa? Assess for yourself the diving flavour that a dollop of bilona ghee will impart to it as compared to your average ghee, and not to mention the immense amount of health benefits it will give you.
At Shahji Ghee, we ensure the originality and premium quality of ghee is maintained. Our ghee is preservative-free and packed with vitamins A, E, K, and omega-3, and omega-9 fatty acids.
FAQs About Bilona Ghee Vs Normal Ghee
What is Bilona Ghee, and how does it differ from Normal Ghee?
Bilona Ghee is a time-honored variety of ghee prepared using an intriguing method. First, curd and butter are separated through churning. The obtained butter is then further heated to give birth to ghee. In comparison, Regular Ghee usually comes to life by straightly boiling milk and extracting the ghee from the remaining milk solids. The nuances that make these ghees diverse lie in the kind of milk used and the way they\’re prepared.
Which type of milk is used for making Bilona Ghee and Normal Ghee?
Typically, Bilona Ghee is the bounty of the milk procured from Indian native cow breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, or Desi cows. Where contrastingly, Regular Ghee is adaptable and can be whipped up from a myriad of milks, be it from indigenous cow breeds, non-indigenous breeds, or buffalo milk.
What are the differences in taste and aroma between Bilona Ghee and Normal Ghee?
Bilona Ghee is celebrated for its hearty, nutty savour and a unique scent inherent to ghee made from the milk of native Indian cows. Regular Ghee, however, could culminate in a subtler taste and fragrance, which would largely depend on the classification of milk used and the steps involved in its making.
Is there a difference in nutritional value between Bilona Ghee and Normal Ghee?
Bilona Ghee is often perceived to score higher on nutrition compared to Regular Ghee. This is attributed to the particular breed of cows used and the age-old way of making it. It\’s alluded to be richer in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A, and antioxidants. Nevertheless, bear in mind that precise nutritional contrasts might fluctuate depending on factors like the breed of the cow, its diet, and how it\’s processed.
Which type of ghee is considered more beneficial for health?
The truth is both Bilona Ghee and Regular Ghee come armed with their health benefits, which makes the selection subjective to someone\’s preferences and dietary requisites. There\’s a common conjecture that Bilona Ghee, particularly of indigenous cow origins, carries additional medicinal advantages and is thus deemed healthier. Regardless, we need more robust research to make definitive assertions regarding the health potency of both ghee types.