Bilona Ghee — Traditional Hand-Churned Desi Ghee

Bilona is the traditional Indian process of making desi ghee by fermenting raw milk into yogurt, hand-churning yogurt in a wooden churner (bilona) to separate butter, then slow-heating butter to clarify into ghee. This process — described in Vedic texts and practised for 5,000+ years — is opposite to modern industrial ghee where cream is extracted first and directly clarified. Bilona ghee from A2 milk (Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi cows) commands ₹1,500–3,000/kg versus ₹500–700/kg commercial ghee. The process activates butyric acid, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and Omega-3 fatty acids differently than industrial method. Rajasthan's Gir cow ghee from Junagadh and Gujarat is the most valued. The wooden bilona (churner) and traditional clay pot are essential to the process — metal containers alter fermentation microbiome. NDDB's "bilona ghee" certification effort aims to distinguish hand-churned products. Urban gourmet market: Ayurvedic wellness centres and premium grocery chains.