Something you’ll notice if you’ve been cooking lots of delicious Indian recipes of late is that ghee is a very common ingredient, popping up in all sorts of amazing dishes as an alternative to butter and oil.

Ghee itself is a type of clarified butter and has a higher fat content than butter because its water and milk solids have been removed. It’s been a staple part of diet and culture in Pakistan and India for thousands of years, in large part because it doesn’t spoil in the same way that butter will in hot weather.

Because the milk solids have been removed, you don’t need to keep ghee in the fridge and it can be safely stored at room temperature for weeks. You may also find that it turns solid during colder weather, much like coconut oil does.

In terms of the health benefits associated with ghee, some studies have found that it can potentially reduce gut inflammation because of its butyric acid content, which has been linked to improved digestive health in the past.

It can also potentially help you increase your vitamin A intake (which can help with your immune function, skin and eye health), while other research has been carried out that suggests it could be beneficial for conditions like obesity and high cholesterol because it has lots of conjugated linoleic acid in it.

What’s more, ghee is also very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which means it could be good for heart health, potentially reducing inflammation and protecting against heart disease.

In addition, because ghee doesn’t have any milk sugar lactose or casein in it (in contrast to butter, which has small amounts of both), it may be a better option for anyone with allergies or dairy sensitivity.