Nothing beats ghee for adding flavour to food, and it is good for health too. Most ghee is bought from the market; very few homes make their own.
But market ghee is not always pure. Everyone prints the word "pure" in large letters on the label, yet adulteration has been proved many times.
What goes into it
Much of the ghee found in the market contains large amounts of ordinary vanaspati (Dalda) and palm oil, with a little ghee added for the smell, plus colour. Ghee from buffalo milk is often coloured and passed off as gawa (cow's milk) ghee. Sometimes adulteration goes so far that a kilogram contains 600 grams of Dalda and 300 grams of palm oil, with only 100 grams of pure ghee. Colours that are not edible at all are often used, and various things are added to make the ghee grainy.
Three simple tests
The easiest way to tell pure ghee is to put a little on your palm. If it melts with your body heat, it is pure.
You can also melt ghee on the stove. If it takes time to melt and turns yellow, it is not pure at all.
There is another simple method. Heat water in a pot and stand the bottle of ghee in it until the ghee inside melts, then put it in the fridge. If the whole bottle sets solid in one colour, it is pure; if it is adulterated, the oils will form separate layers.
To avoid adulterated ghee it is best to make it at home. If you cannot, buy it with care.
Source: Samakal. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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