Clarified butter
Encyclopedia
Clarified butter is milk fat rendered from butter
to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat
. Typically, it is produced by melting butter and allowing the different components to separate by density
. The water evaporates, some solids float to the surface and are skimmed off, and the remainder of the milk solids sink to the bottom and are left behind when the butter fat (which would then be on top) is poured off.
Commercial methods of production also include direct evaporation, but may also be accomplished by decantation and centrifugation followed by vacuum drying; or direct from cream by breaking the emulsion followed by centrifugation.
than regular butter, and is therefore preferred in some cooking applications, such as sautéing. Clarified butter also has a much longer shelf life than fresh butter. It has negligible amounts of lactose
and is, therefore, acceptable to most individuals afflicted with lactose intolerance
.
(samna) and South Asia
(ghee
), the butter may be cooked long enough to evaporate the water portion and caramelize the milk solids (which are then filtered out), resulting in a nutty flavor. In French cuisine
, this is called beurre noisette
, translated as "hazelnut butter," and known as brown butter in English.
, clarified butter is typically served with unbreaded, cooked seafood
. It is also referred to as drawn butter
.
In England
, clarified butter is used in the process of potting
, whereby foods such as shrimp and hare are preserved in pots of butter.
In India
and Pakistan
, clarified butter is commonly known as ghee
and is a common cooking oil. In Pakistan
, it is used mainly for cooking, especially, chicken Karahi and lentils. It is also burned as a fuel in religious lamps. In northern India, the milk solids are a delicacy eaten with various unleavened breads. The milk solids are called mehran in Hindi, neyyi (నెయ్యి) in Telugu
, neyyi(നെയി) in Malayalam
tup in Marathi
and thuppa (ತುಪ್ಪ) in Kannada
, Bengali
: ঘী ghee.
In Brazil
, this is known as Manteiga Clarificada and it is commonly mistaken with the manteiga de garrafa (bottle butter), which is featured mostly in cuisine from the northeast.
In German
, clarified butter is known as Butterschmalz, sometimes rendered into English as "butter schmalz".
In Iran
, it is known as "yellow oil" or "good oil", and is used in place of other oils.
In Middle Eastern countries, it is known as samnah. It replaces oil in frying and sautéing
because of its perceived superior flavor. In some Arab countries, such as Egypt
, the separated milk solids which remain in the bottom (mortah) are a rare delicacy, and are eaten as a spread on bread.
Rural families in the Maghreb
region of North Africa, particularly those of Amazigh
descent (where ghee is referred to as Smen
or D'haan) sometimes bury a sealed vessel of smen
on the day of a daughter's birth, aging it until it is unearthed and used to season the food served on that daughter's wedding.
In Ethiopian
and Eritrean cuisines (particularly in the highlands
), clarified butter is infused with ginger, garlic, and several spices, and is known as niter kibbeh in Amharic
and tesmi in Tigrinya
.
In Uganda
, amongst the Ankole
cultures, clarified butter is made into a dish called eshabwe, a white frothy cream that is eaten with solid foods and is sometimes added to smoked meat.
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat
Butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...
. Typically, it is produced by melting butter and allowing the different components to separate by density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
. The water evaporates, some solids float to the surface and are skimmed off, and the remainder of the milk solids sink to the bottom and are left behind when the butter fat (which would then be on top) is poured off.
Commercial methods of production also include direct evaporation, but may also be accomplished by decantation and centrifugation followed by vacuum drying; or direct from cream by breaking the emulsion followed by centrifugation.
Properties
Clarified butter has a higher smoke pointSmoke point
The smoke point generally refers to the temperature at which a cooking fat or oil begins to break down to glycerol and free fatty acids, and produce bluish smoke. The glycerol is then further broken down to acrolein which is a component of the smoke. It is the presence of the acrolein that causes...
than regular butter, and is therefore preferred in some cooking applications, such as sautéing. Clarified butter also has a much longer shelf life than fresh butter. It has negligible amounts of lactose
Lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. Lactose makes up around 2~8% of milk , although the amount varies among species and individuals. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey. The name comes from or , the Latin word for milk,...
and is, therefore, acceptable to most individuals afflicted with lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency or hypolactasia, is the inability to digest and metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk...
.
Regional variations
In the Middle EastMiddle Eastern cuisine
Middle-Eastern cuisine, West Asian cuisine, or in some place in the United States, Persian-Mediterranean cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East . The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity...
(samna) and South Asia
South Asian cuisine
South Asian cuisine, also known as Desi cuisine, includes the cuisines from the Indian subcontinent. It has roots in South Asia, including practices taken from the Hindu beliefs practiced by the large population found in the region, alongside influences from neighbouring regions and cultures,...
(ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
), the butter may be cooked long enough to evaporate the water portion and caramelize the milk solids (which are then filtered out), resulting in a nutty flavor. In French cuisine
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
, this is called beurre noisette
Beurre noisette
Beurre noisette is frequently used in French pastry production. It can also be used as a warm sauce to accompany many foods, such as winter vegetables, pasta, fish, omelettes, and chicken.Unsalted butter is melted over low heat and allowed to separate into butterfat and milk solids...
, translated as "hazelnut butter," and known as brown butter in English.
Names and uses in different countries
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, clarified butter is typically served with unbreaded, cooked seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
. It is also referred to as drawn butter
Drawn butter
Drawn butter is an American term for a preparation of melted butter, generally clarified. There does appear to be some confusion or disagreement about whether it must be clarified to be considered "drawn", or merely melted with the surface foam skimmed away, or even simply melted...
.
In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, clarified butter is used in the process of potting
Potted shrimps
Potted shrimps are a traditional Lancastrian dish made with brown shrimp flavoured with mace. The dish consists of brown shrimp in mace-flavoured butter, which has set in a small pot. Cayenne pepper and nutmeg may also be included. It is traditionally eaten with bread...
, whereby foods such as shrimp and hare are preserved in pots of butter.
In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, clarified butter is commonly known as ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
and is a common cooking oil. In Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, it is used mainly for cooking, especially, chicken Karahi and lentils. It is also burned as a fuel in religious lamps. In northern India, the milk solids are a delicacy eaten with various unleavened breads. The milk solids are called mehran in Hindi, neyyi (నెయ్యి) in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, neyyi(നെയി) in Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
tup in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
and thuppa (ತುಪ್ಪ) in Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
: ঘী ghee.
In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, this is known as Manteiga Clarificada and it is commonly mistaken with the manteiga de garrafa (bottle butter), which is featured mostly in cuisine from the northeast.
In German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, clarified butter is known as Butterschmalz, sometimes rendered into English as "butter schmalz".
In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, it is known as "yellow oil" or "good oil", and is used in place of other oils.
In Middle Eastern countries, it is known as samnah. It replaces oil in frying and sautéing
Sautéing
Sautéing is a method of cooking food, that uses a small amount of fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Ingredients are usually cut into pieces or thinly sliced to facilitate fast cooking. The primary mode of heat transfer during sautéing is conduction between the pan and the food being...
because of its perceived superior flavor. In some Arab countries, such as Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the separated milk solids which remain in the bottom (mortah) are a rare delicacy, and are eaten as a spread on bread.
Rural families in the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
region of North Africa, particularly those of Amazigh
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
descent (where ghee is referred to as Smen
Smen
Smen is a traditional cooking oil most common in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. It is produced using the butter made from the milk of sheep, goats or a combination of the two...
or D'haan) sometimes bury a sealed vessel of smen
Smen
Smen is a traditional cooking oil most common in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. It is produced using the butter made from the milk of sheep, goats or a combination of the two...
on the day of a daughter's birth, aging it until it is unearthed and used to season the food served on that daughter's wedding.
In Ethiopian
Cuisine of Ethiopia
Ethiopian cuisine and Eritrean cuisine characteristically consist of spicy vegetable and meat dishes, usually in the form of wat , a thick stew, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 50 centimeters in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour...
and Eritrean cuisines (particularly in the highlands
Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea , and northern Somalia in the Horn of Africa...
), clarified butter is infused with ginger, garlic, and several spices, and is known as niter kibbeh in Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
and tesmi in Tigrinya
Tigrinya language
Tigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it...
.
In Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, amongst the Ankole
Ankole
Ankole, also referred to as Nkore, is one of four traditional kingdoms in Uganda. The kingdom is located in the southwestern Uganda, east of Lake Edward. It was ruled by a monarch known as The Mugabe or Omugabe of Ankole. The kingdom was formally abolished in 1967 by the government of President...
cultures, clarified butter is made into a dish called eshabwe, a white frothy cream that is eaten with solid foods and is sometimes added to smoked meat.