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Fermentation Atlas

Fermented milk from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh

Desi ghee from fermented cream (makkhan route)घी (ghī)

Boiled whole milk is set overnight into dahi with a spoonful of yesterday's dahi, the dahi is churned into makkhan (butter), and the butter is boiled at 110–120 °C until it stops frothing. The clear fat keeps the aroma of the fermentation and lasts up to a year. Made in 4 steps over 12 months. The longest step, settle, filter and store, takes up to 12 months (FAO 1990). Lactic bacteria of the dahi; urban dairies use Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, village dahi relies on natural flora does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepup to 12 monthsReported[fao-tmp-iii]Settle, filter and store
Temperature110–120 °CReported[fao-tmp-iii][inflibnet-ghee]Boil the butter until frothing stops

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe starter share is FAO's description of household dahi making. Ghee yield and batch size vary with the milk and the churn; no fixed recipe is given.
Whole milk · Boiled, then cooled to body temperature[fao-tmp-ii]
0.5–1 % of the milkDahi or buttermilk from the day before[fao-tmp-ii]
Starterbackslop

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 months

Start
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Milk sugarLactic acidshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteriaS. thermophilusLactobacillus bulgaricus

What changes: Boiled milk with a spoonful of old dahi sours overnight into a firm curd

Step 1 of 4
Set dahi from boiled whole milk
Time
Left overnight until it sets
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
S. thermophilus
Lactobacillus bulgaricus

Output: dahi.

Flavour
clean acid
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Desi ghee is boiled from butter churned out of whole-milk dahi, so it carries aroma compounds formed during fermentation. Creamery and direct-cream ghee start from fresh cream or butter and have fewer flavour compounds; smen keeps the butter raw and lets it age.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Direct-cream and creamery-butter gheeMade from fresh separated cream or butter in dairies, without the dahi step; milder.
  • Ethiopian spiced butterBishop's weed and cardamom seeds are added while clarifying (FAO).
  • Mauritanian clarified butterCrushed dates are added as a clarifying agent, and honey and date juice may flavour it (FAO).

Safety

Boiling kills most microbes and enzymes, and with moisture below 1 % the ghee can keep for up to a year. Moisture left in the fat shortens its life.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The word ghee comes from the Sanskrit ghr, meaning bright, and ghee appears in the Vedas. Clarified butter spread across the Indian subcontinent, the Near East and North and East Africa because it keeps far longer than butter in hot climates.

  1. [fao-tmp-ii] FAO 1990, The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries, Animal Production and Health Paper 85, section II "Acidified milks" (Dahi)gov
  2. [fao-tmp-iii] FAO 1990, The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries, Animal Production and Health Paper 85, section III "Butter and milk-fat products"gov
  3. [inflibnet-ghee] INFLIBNET Centre, Technology of Milk and Milk Products, chapter 8, Technology of ghee making (direct cream, creamery butter, continuous method)book
  4. [kumbhare2023] Kumbhare S., Prasad W., Khamrui K., Wani A.D., Sahu J. 2023, Recent innovations in functionality and shelf life enhancement of ghee, clarified butter fat, J Food Sci Technol, doi:10.1007/s13197-021-05335-7 (abstract)paper
  5. [wadodkar2002] Wadodkar U.R., Punjrath J.S., Shah A.C. 2002, Evaluation of volatile compounds in different types of ghee using direct injection with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Journal of Dairy Research, doi:10.1017/s0022029901005350 (abstract)paper