Ghee - Outside South Asia

Outside South Asia

Several communities outside South Asia make ghee. Egyptians make a product called samna baladi (سمنة بلدى, meaning "local ghee"; i.e., Egyptian ghee) identical to ghee in terms of process and result. In Ethiopia, niter kibbeh (Amharic: ንጥር ቅቤ niṭer ḳibē) is made and used in much the same way as ghee, but with spices added during the process that result in a distinctive taste. Moroccans (especially Berbers) take this one step further, aging spiced ghee for months or even years, resulting in a product called smen, Berbers call this Oedie. In northeastern Brazil, an unrefrigerated butter very similar to ghee, called manteiga-de-garrafa (butter-in-a-bottle) or manteiga-da-terra (butter of the land), is common. It is also widely used in Europe. For example, Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally fried in a version of ghee called Butterschmalz. In France, it is called beurre noisette due to its nutty flavor, and used in making some pastries. Among pastoralist communities in East Africa, such as the Nandi, Tugen and Maasai communities, ghee and flocculated byproducts (kamaek) from ghee-making were traditionally used as cooking oil. In Japan, ghee was mentioned in the Nirvana Sutra, and inspired the creation of Daigo, created from the milk skin cheese So.