Ghee comes with its own vocabulary, borrowed from village kitchens, food regulations, laboratories and marketing departments. Here is a glossary of the terms you are most likely to meet, in alphabetical order.

A1 and A2. Two forms of beta-casein, a milk protein. Indigenous Indian cattle mainly produce the A2 form. Because ghee contains almost no protein, "A2 ghee" describes the milk source. See what A2 means.

Adulteration. Adding cheaper substances to ghee, such as vanaspati, vegetable oils, animal fats or starch, without declaring them.

Agmark. A voluntary government grading mark for agricultural products, including ghee.

Baudouin test. A test used to detect certain vegetable oils in ghee, based on a marker added to vanaspati. See the Baudouin test explained.

Beta-carotene. The yellow plant pigment that gives cow ghee its colour.

Bilona. The traditional method of churning whole curd to make butter, and by extension the ghee made from that butter. Also the name of the wooden churner.

BR reading (butyro-refractometer reading). A laboratory measurement of how light passes through melted fat. Genuine ghee falls within a defined range. Readings outside it can indicate adulteration.

Chaas. Buttermilk, the liquid left after butter is churned from curd. See chaas.

Clarified butter. Butter heated to remove water and milk solids. Ghee is a type of clarified butter, cooked longer so the solids brown.

Cow ghee. Ghee made from cow milk only.

Cream-separated ghee. Ghee made from cream extracted from milk with a mechanical separator, without setting the whole milk into curd first.

Cultured. Fermented with bacteria before churning. All bilona ghee is cultured.

Danedar. Grainy, describing ghee that sets with visible crystals. See why ghee turns grainy.

Desi. Indigenous or traditional. On ghee labels, usually refers to indigenous Indian cattle.

Diacetyl. A natural compound produced during fermentation that smells strongly of butter. Part of bilona ghee's aroma.

Dolchi. A milk-can shaped container with a lid and handle, used for storing larger quantities of ghee or milk.

FFA (free fatty acids). Fatty acids released from fat molecules as fat breaks down. A higher FFA level can indicate age, poor storage or rancidity.

FSSAI. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which sets food standards and licenses food businesses.

Ghrita. The Sanskrit word for ghee, used in ancient texts and in Ayurveda.

Gir. An indigenous cattle breed from Gujarat's Saurashtra region. See what is Gir cow ghee.

Kharchan. The browned milk solids left behind after ghee is strained. Also called ghee residue.

Madhani. The wooden churning stick used in bilona.

Maillard reaction. The browning reaction between proteins and sugars that gives cooked ghee its nutty, roasted aroma.

Makkhan. White butter, churned from curd or cream, before it is cooked into ghee.

Malai. The thick layer of cream that forms on top of boiled milk as it cools.

Moisture. The water content of ghee. Well-made ghee has very little. High moisture shortens shelf life.

NABL. The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, which accredits labs in India. See how to read a ghee lab report.

Rancidity. The deterioration of fat through oxidation or breakdown, producing sharp, unpleasant smells.

RM value (Reichert-Meissl value). A lab measure of the volatile, water-soluble short-chain fatty acids characteristic of milk fat. Genuine ghee has a distinctly higher value than most vegetable fats.

Smoke point. The temperature at which a fat begins to smoke steadily. See smoke point of ghee.

Tadka. Tempering: whole or ground spices bloomed in hot ghee or oil and added to a dish. Also called chhaunk, baghar or oggarane.

Vanaspati. Hydrogenated vegetable fat, historically sold as a cheap ghee substitute and a common adulterant.

Zebu. Humped cattle of Indian origin (Bos indicus), including Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi and Tharparkar.

If there is a term you have seen on a jar and cannot find here, message us and we will add it. Both our ghees are described in exactly these terms on their pages: A2 Gir Cow Ghee and Desi Cow A2 Ghee.