The uthukuli butter from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district has joined the list of indigenous recipients of the GI tag – a benchmark to celebrate its unique characteristics, nativity to the region it originates from and its cultural heritage. Used for offerings in religious rituals, this creamy and aromatic butter is churned using age-old methods. The dairy product – which symbolizes purity, prosperity and auspiciousness, is produced in the Uthukuli region from where it derives its name.
Made with top quality milk extracted from indigenous breeds of cows as well as buffaloes that populate the region, the full-fat milk used to make it give it a distinct flavour. With a yellowish tinge of colour, the butter is clarified further to make ghee in most homes, which is then used to prepare dishes like venn pongal, Mysore pak or drizzled over sambar-sadham. Traditional methods of churning the uthukuli butter used drumstick leaves in the process, which infused the fat with its aroma as well as maintaining its purity.
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Known to possess health properties, the process involves boiling and cooling the milk, before it is churned using wooden tools and shaped into cylindrical blocks. The method provides a velvety texture to the cultured butter, preserving its integrity and techniques passed down over generations. Boasting of vitamin contents like A, D, E and K, uthukuli butter is also said to be used for medicinal purposes in Ayurveda. Besides making ghee, the butter can also be consumed on its own in similar ways as one would enjoy its standard variant.