Cultured ghee, or as it is known in Ayurveda, Ghruta, is a deeply nourishing substance provided by the holiest of animals; the golden-yellow to white color reflects its purity and potency. One might say that ghee is one of the best forms of nourishment for both the brain and body. And cultured ghee, or Ghruta, is one step further along the road to a perfect elixir.
But what exactly is cultured ghee? How can you improve upon ghee? Read on to learn about the benefits of cultured ghee compared to regular ghee.
What Is Cultured Ghee Exactly?
The main difference between cultured ghee and regular ghee is the core component. Regular ghee is just made from butter, whereas cultured ghee can be made from either cultured butter or from yogurt.
Cultured ghee is a bit different from foods that Westerners call cultured. In the West, this term mostly refers to foods that contain live cultures. Cultured butter and ghee or Ghruta don’t have these organisms in them, but they have been through a similar fermentation process as the one that leads to foods like kimchi and sauerkraut.
Why Fermentation Is Important
Both cultured butter and milk can be made from milk because of lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in dairy. It’s also responsible for most of the issues that we associate with lactose intolerance. This sugar needs to be broken down by a compound called lactase.
A lot of people don’t have lactase present in their body, or at least not in sufficient amounts to digest dairy products.
If you know something about fermentation, you’ll know that sugar can accelerate the process. In this case, the sugar employed is the naturally-present lactose. The fermentation process eliminates the lactose by converting it into lactic acid.
Lactic acid is so much easier to digest and is beneficial to humans. Regular ghee just has the lactose removed when the milk fat is scooped off, but by fermenting it, more nutritional value is retained.
What’s more important about lactic acid is what it doesn’t do: it doesn’t cause allergic reactions! It is in fact easy to digest and beneficial to the system.
Comparing Cultured & Regular Ghee Side by Side
Here’s a quick look at some of the main traits of each type of ghee. The list might seem biased in favor of cultured ghee, and it is. Cultured ghee is just better.
Regular Ghee
- Cheaper to make, cheaper to buy
- Not necessarily made using A2 milk
- Not always suitable for those with lactose intolerance
Cultured Ghee
- Deep nourishment for body and mind
- Can be metabolised and absorbed by almost any human being
- Richer & more buttery taste
- Granular texture
- Better for people with dairy intolerance
Conclusion
Fermented ghee, also known as Ghruta and Desi ghee, provides all of the same benefits as regular ghee, plus more. It’s also a much safer alternative for people with dairy allergies. Fermented ghee has had the lactose transformed into lactic acid which is less harsh on the body of those who can’t digest lactose.
Reviewed by Dr. Jayant Lokhande, MD (Botanical Drugs), MBA (Biotechnology)
