2021 - Volume #45, Issue #6, Page #20
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Try Ghee, A Healthy Butter Option
“It tastes like butter, handles high heat and it’s shelf-stable,” says Sandeep Agarwal, who sells ghee through his family business Pure Indian Foods.
He and his wife, Nalini, were reminded of that when their young son had digestive issues. In seeking a dietary solution, they found local New Jersey dairies that sold raw milk from organic-raised, grass-fed cows. Nalini began making ghee, following a 400-year-old tradition of ghee makers in Sandeep’s family in India.
Ghee is made by heating unsalted butter and separating out the water and lactose/casein from the butter leaving just the fat. By removing the solids, people with dairy sensitivities can usually handle ghee. It’s also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A and other nutrients.
Ghee is similar to coconut oil as it can be solid or liquid depending on room temperature. When opened, its shelf life is about a year if refrigerated. Because the solids have been removed it has a much higher smoke point than butter, and so it is good for cooking as well as deep fat frying or just as a spread.
When the Agarwals started making ghee in 2008, their first customers were from the Indian community, but interest has grown across all cultures as people learn more about ghee, Sandeep says.
“People at farmers’ markets are curious about it and they understand the place for fat in our diet in small quantities,” he says. “People also believe in local agriculture.”
Besides making plain ghee, Nalini adds spices for flavored ghee. A 7.8 oz. jar of ghee sells for $11.99 at the company website.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pure Indian Foods, 1800 East State St. Suite 174, Hamilton, N.J. 08609 (ph 609-785-9100; info@pureindianfoods.com; www.pureindianfoods.com).
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