Traditional Ghee Making - The Bilona Method: Preserving Ancient Craftsmanship

The Art of Hand-Churned Ghee

In the quiet hours before dawn, artisans across rural Odisha begin a ritual that has remained unchanged for thousands of years—the making of ghee using the traditional bilona method. This labor-intensive process, passed down through generations, transforms fresh desi cow milk into liquid gold through patience, skill, and deep respect for tradition. Unlike modern commercial ghee production that prioritizes speed and volume, the bilona method honors the sacred relationship between craft, time, and quality.

What is the Bilona Method?

The word 'bilona' refers to the traditional wooden churner used to hand-churn curd into butter. This ancient Vedic method is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts and has been the cornerstone of authentic ghee-making for over 5,000 years. The process is entirely manual, requiring no machinery, and preserves all the nutritional and medicinal properties that make desi cow ghee so valuable.

The Traditional Bilona Process: Step by Step

Step 1: Sourcing Pure Desi Cow Milk

The journey begins with milk from indigenous Indian cow breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, or Red Sindhi. These cows are grass-fed, allowed to graze freely, and treated with care and respect. The milk is collected fresh, typically in the early morning, ensuring maximum purity and nutritional value.

Why it matters: Desi cow milk contains A2 beta-casein protein, which is easier to digest and doesn't cause inflammation like A1 protein found in hybrid breeds. The quality of milk directly determines the quality of ghee.

Step 2: Culturing into Curd (Dahi)

Fresh milk is gently heated and then cooled to body temperature (around 40°C). A small amount of traditional curd culture (from the previous batch) is added, and the milk is left undisturbed overnight to ferment naturally into thick, creamy curd.

Traditional wisdom: The fermentation process creates beneficial probiotics and makes the milk proteins more digestible. Artisans know the exact temperature and timing by touch and experience—knowledge that cannot be replicated by machines.

Step 3: Hand-Churning with the Bilona

This is the heart of the bilona method. The curd is transferred to a large earthen pot or brass vessel. A wooden bilona (churner) with a rope is inserted, and the artisan begins the rhythmic churning motion—pulling the rope back and forth, creating a spinning motion that gradually separates butter from buttermilk.

The process:

• Churning typically takes 45-60 minutes of continuous manual effort
• The rhythmic motion must be steady and consistent
• Cold water is sometimes added to maintain temperature
• Gradually, butter granules begin to float to the surface
• The buttermilk (chaas) is carefully separated and saved

Why hand-churning matters: The slow, gentle churning preserves the molecular structure of fats, retains beneficial enzymes, and maintains the natural aroma and taste. Machine churning generates heat and friction that can damage these delicate properties.

Step 4: Collecting the Butter (Makhan)

The floating butter is carefully collected by hand, washed with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk, and gathered into a lump. This fresh, hand-churned butter has a distinct granular texture and rich, creamy color—markedly different from commercial butter.

Traditional practice: Nothing is wasted. The buttermilk is consumed as a probiotic drink or used in cooking, honoring the principle of zero waste that has guided traditional food practices for millennia.

Step 5: Slow Heating to Make Ghee

The collected butter is placed in a heavy-bottomed vessel (traditionally brass or copper) and heated on a low, controlled flame. This is where patience becomes paramount.

The heating process:

• Butter is heated gently on low flame for 30-45 minutes
• Water content gradually evaporates with gentle bubbling
• Milk solids separate and settle at the bottom
• The liquid turns from cloudy to crystal clear golden
• A distinct nutty aroma fills the air—the sign of perfect ghee
• The flame is turned off at precisely the right moment

Artisan skill: Knowing when to stop heating requires years of experience. Too early, and moisture remains; too late, and the ghee burns. Artisans judge by color, aroma, sound of bubbling, and intuition developed over decades.

Step 6: Straining and Storing

The golden liquid is carefully strained through a fine cloth to remove milk solids, then poured into clean, dry containers—traditionally earthen pots or glass jars. The ghee is allowed to cool naturally and settle.

The result: Pure, golden, aromatic ghee with a slightly granular texture when solidified—the hallmark of authentic bilona ghee.

Bilona Method vs. Modern Commercial Production

Why the Bilona Method Produces Superior Ghee

1. Preserves Nutritional Integrity

The gentle, low-heat process preserves heat-sensitive vitamins (A, D, E, K), beneficial enzymes, and the natural molecular structure of fats. This makes bilona ghee more bioavailable and easier to digest.

2. Retains Medicinal Properties

Ayurveda specifically recommends bilona ghee for medicinal purposes because the traditional method preserves the 'prana' (life force) and therapeutic qualities that are diminished in commercial processing.

3. Superior Aroma and Taste

The slow heating caramelizes milk solids perfectly, creating complex flavor compounds and the characteristic nutty aroma that connoisseurs recognize immediately.

4. Contains Beneficial Probiotics

Starting from cultured curd means bilona ghee retains traces of beneficial bacteria and their metabolites, adding to its digestive benefits.

5. Granular Texture

The slightly granular texture when solidified is a sign of purity and traditional processing—a quality marker that cannot be replicated by commercial methods.

The Artisans Behind the Craft

Making bilona ghee is not just a process—it's a craft that requires skill, patience, and dedication. The artisans who preserve this tradition are often from families who have been making ghee for generations.

Skills Required:

• Timing intuition: Knowing when curd is perfectly set, when churning is complete, when ghee is ready
• Physical stamina: Hand-churning for an hour requires strength and endurance
• Sensory expertise: Judging quality by sight, smell, sound, and touch
• Temperature control: Maintaining perfect heat without thermometers
• Patience: Refusing to rush any step of the process

Time Investment:

To produce just one liter of bilona ghee requires:

• 25-30 liters of fresh desi cow milk
• 24 hours for curd fermentation
• 45-60 minutes of hand-churning
• 30-45 minutes of slow heating
• Years of learning and practice

Sustainability and Zero Waste

The traditional bilona method embodies sustainable food practices:

• Buttermilk (Chaas): Consumed as a probiotic drink, used in cooking
• Milk Solids: Fed to cattle or used in traditional sweets
• Earthen Pots: Biodegradable, reusable storage
• Wood Fuel: Renewable energy source for heating
• Local Economy: Supports small farmers and artisan communities

How to Identify Authentic Bilona Ghee

When purchasing ghee, look for these markers of authentic bilona production:

• Granular texture: Slightly grainy when solid, not perfectly smooth
• Rich golden color: Deep yellow from grass-fed cow milk
• Strong aroma: Distinct nutty, caramelized smell
• Melts completely: No residue when melted on palm
• Source transparency: Producer can explain the complete process
• Higher price point: Reflects the labor and time invested

Preserving a Dying Art

In an age of industrial food production, the bilona method is becoming increasingly rare. The time, labor, and skill required make it economically challenging for artisans to compete with mass-produced ghee. Yet this ancient craft represents more than just a production method—it's a living connection to our agricultural heritage, a repository of traditional knowledge, and a testament to the value of patience and quality over speed and quantity.

Experience Authentic Bilona Ghee

At Odisha Desi Haat, we work directly with artisan families who continue to practice the traditional bilona method. Each batch of ghee is handcrafted in small quantities, ensuring the preservation of this ancient craft while providing you with ghee that carries the authentic taste, aroma, and medicinal properties that only traditional methods can deliver.

When you choose bilona ghee, you're not just buying a product—you're supporting artisan livelihoods, preserving cultural heritage, and experiencing food as it was meant to be: crafted with care, patience, and deep respect for tradition.