Is clarified butter better for you than ordinary butter?

It keeps far longer and has a higher smoke point, so it suits high-heat cooking. Nutritionally it's more concentrated fat, not less, because the water and milk solids have gone.

Can I use butter if I am lactose intolerant?

Usually yes. Butter is almost all fat and carries very little lactose. Clarified butter has essentially none. A milk protein allergy is a different matter and rules butter out.

How much butter is reasonable in a day?

There's no single number. A tablespoon over rice or on bread sits comfortably inside most dietary advice. Half a block through a week's cooking doesn't.

Chapter 1 of 11

Butter

Start Here

Source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2.

Carries flavour and aroma — including saffron — better than most fats.

Small amounts make plain grains and vegetables more satisfying.

Kareh is simply churned cream. On the Persian table, you'll usually find it in small amounts: spread over hot bread with honey or jam, stirred through haleem, or folded into saffron rice at the end. It isn't the same as ghee (roghan-e kareh), which has had the milk solids removed, or kashk, which is fermented whey.

Butter is mostly saturated fat, so the amount matters. Use it for flavour rather than as your main cooking fat, and it can stay a small part of the day.