buffalo vs. cow ghee

[whippy]

i've made a couple of batches of cow ghee recently, and in my research i came across the fact that historically ghee was only made from the milk of the water buffalo. (such sweet tempered creatures!) i've learned that buffalo ghee has less of the yellow pigment carotene in it, producing a "whiter" cooking oil and that the cream of the water buffalo has a higher fat content than the cream of a cow. of course, the unheralded success of mozzarella di bufala adds some intrigue to my question: are there differences in flavor and texture?

sadly, i don't live in proximity to a water buffalo. and though i've discovered that i might purchase a texan male for $1,000, or a texan lady for $2,000, i'm not ready to commit without your advice.

[whippy]

just found august 2002 post on this very topic! interesting, with suvir stating that buffalo ghee is "richer and tastier" with less aroma than cow ghee.

i've sourced some pricy buffalo yogurt, and will do some more research. any thoughts on makin butter from yogurt versus cream? does the sourness of yogurt impart flavors lacking in fresh whole milk?

to me, ghee is so spectacular i want the best. is my time misspent?

[Edward]

In my opinion, buffalo ghee is a little too rich. It has a funky sort of "cheesy" smell. I prefer the caramel sweetness of cow ghee. As far as I know, the ghee that comes in cans under the brand name "Amul" is made from buffalo milk. Maybe you should give it a try.

Edward

[Edward]

i've sourced some pricy buffalo yogurt, and will do some more research. any thoughts on makin butter from yogurt versus cream? does the sourness of yogurt impart flavors lacking in fresh whole milk?

In India, butter is usually made from yogurt. I think it is a common practice in some parts of Europe also. You know... when you see those expensive packages of butter imported from Europe it often says it is made from "cultured cream". That is essentially yogurt...no?

[FistFullaRoux]

i've sourced some pricy buffalo yogurt, and will do some more research.  any thoughts on makin butter from yogurt versus cream?  does the sourness of yogurt impart flavors lacking in fresh whole milk?

In India, butter is usually made from yogurt. I think it is a common practice in some parts of Europe also. You know... when you see those expensive packages of butter imported from Europe it often says it is made from "cultured cream". That is essentially yogurt...no?

Maybe it just has season tickets to the symphony....

[Episure]

Milk -> Centrifugal separation -> Cream -> Butter -> Low heat evaporation -> Filtration -> Ghee

Ghee is made from butter which has been cooked to remove moisture content and strained to filter out milk solids.

It sounds like a paradox but actually Ghee can effectively reduce the total calorific value of a recipe. This is because it is a very effective flavour enhancer and one can use small quantities of it than the normally prescribed oil. Cholesterol is another matter and there are a lot of debates raging on about it. But if you are making Farm Ghee and have control over all the inputs your Ghee may be probably be a healthier option.

Some time back I had done some research at a few Dairies and felt that breed, feed and micro climate affect the taste more than the fixed differences between ghee from the two species. These factors affect a down the line product like Ghee or butter more than the milk itself.

You can also make speciality Ghee by incorporating flavouring agents in the evaporation process. A steady and low transfer of heat is the key to making good Ghee.

What is the breed of your livestock?

Edited April 11, 2004 by Episure (log)

[rajsuman]

I don't have an opinion on the ghee issue, but I must share with all of you my utter joy . You see, I simply love Amul butter. It's not available here, and I can't really bring it back from home, so the most I can do is to eat it to my heart's content while I'm in India. I've tried all brands of Irish butter, and they are all very good quality (as most Irish dairy products are) but it just wasn't the same . Recently I came across Brittany butter with sea salt....ahhhh...pure bliss! Comes very close to my Amul. Now I'm almost beginning to wish I hadn't come across it - the temptation is too great to resist. The butter calls out to me and I can't not answer

Suman

[skchai]

If the Amul Ghee exported to the U.S. is the same as that sold in India, then you may be able to find buffalo milk ghee at your local Indian grocery. Amul foods are distributed in the U.S. by Kanan Dairy Products. If your local grocery doesn't carry it, you can order it online at Namaste.com (scroll to the bottom half of the pages). Maybe I'll order some now. . .

[scott123]

to me, ghee is so spectacular i want the best.  is my time misspent?

Time devoted to mastering one of the top three lipids on the planet (along with pork and duck fat) could never be misspent.

[whippy]

so much knowledge given. love it!

i took edward's tip that amul ghee is made from buffalo butter. saved me from having to buy a water buffalo, thanks! i have to admit that i believed a tinned product could not be as good as homemade. i was wrong. i thought the cheesy, rich flavor showed great depth, and can see it complementing hearty fare quite well.

i spent the afternoon with two other new butters, after reading a great article at www.sfgate.com on different butter varieties. episure's comments started me down this path, thanks. i made ghee from organic valley, and a batch from cremerie classique. (considered celles sur belles, but too pricey.) i have been using my local tillamook butter, but both of the higher end butters made ghee that was absolutely remarkable by comparison. and while the cremerie classique was excellent, the organic valley was better: fragrant, sweet, toasty and lingering. if you go to the butter article, you'll find a great chart illustrating the different butter varieties chemical compositions. i found it interesting that the organic valley had the highest milkfat solids content, and hypothesize that more toasted solids = more flavor.

anyway, i ate a dangerous number of delicious, ghee oozing chapatis, and decided that from now on my pantry needs both cow and buffalo ghee, as the situation warrants.