Better butter? The West just 'discovered' ghee – again

The internet is buzzing with a groundbreaking kitchen hack: melt butter, let it brown slightly, and—boom—it tastes nuttier and more aromatic! American influencers are calling it a butter glow-up, a kitchen revolution, a secret to better flavour. Indians, meanwhile, are just watching this unfold like, Wait… isn’t that just ghee?

Liquid gold
Ghee, often referred to as “liquid gold,” has been a cornerstone of Indian cuisine, Ayurvedic medicine, and religious rituals for millennia. The BBC even quoted Indian food author Kalyan Karmakar, calling ghee the "purest food on Earth," noting its deep roots in ancient Indian culture. From our grandmothers' kitchens to temple offerings, ghee has always held a special place in India.

Ghee has been a staple in Indian households for over 5,000 years. It’s mentioned in the Rigveda, plays a sacred role in Hindu rituals, and has been praised in Ayurveda for its health benefits. But now, thanks to viral social media videos, it’s being rebranded for a Western audience—this time as clarified butter.

Ghee’s global glow-up
This isn’t the first time Indian ingredients have been repackaged for Western audiences. Remember when turmeric suddenly became a "superfood" after centuries of being used in haldi doodh? Or when yoga, deeply embedded in Indian spirituality, became a fitness trend? Now, ghee is having its moment, marketed as "clarified butter" in glossy jars with premium price tags.

However, it's not all bad. The newfound Western interest has led to a global ghee boom. High-end supermarkets in the US and Europe now stock jars of "artisanal ghee," sometimes infused with truffle or herbs, priced significantly higher than what we buy at our local kirana stores. The rise of keto and paleo diets has further boosted its popularity, with nutritionists praising ghee’s healthy fats and gut-friendly properties.

From grandma’s kitchen to global fame

While we might roll our eyes at ghee’s Western reinvention, it’s worth celebrating that an ancient Indian culinary tradition is getting its due recognition. Instead of calling it “better butter,” maybe it’s time influencers just called it what it is: ghee—an Indian culinary treasure long before Instagram recipes.

So the next time you see an influencer excitedly claiming they’ve found a way to make butter "taste better," just smile, grab your paratha, and dip it into the ghee we never forgot.