The Kai journal
Why wood-pressed oil tastes and smells different
Walk into a traditional oil mill in Tamil Nadu or Rajasthan and the first thing you notice is the smell: roasted sesame, fresh groundnut, sharp mustard. That smell is the oil itself, and it is exactly what refined oil loses.
How a wooden press works. A wooden pestle turns slowly inside a large wooden mortar. The seeds are crushed under the weight and friction of the wood, and the oil drips out at the bottom. In Tamil it is called marachekku, in Hindi kachi ghani. It turns at a gentle pace, so the oil stays close to room temperature.
How most supermarket oil is made. Refined oil is usually pressed at high speed in steel expellers, then heated, treated with solvents, bleached and deodorised. The result is clear, with no smell, and it lasts a long time on the shelf. It has also lost its natural colour, aroma and much of what made it special.
What you'll notice with wood-pressed oil.
- It has colour and a real aroma. Groundnut oil smells nutty, sesame smells toasty and mustard is pungent.
- It may look a little cloudy, or leave a thin layer at the bottom. That is natural sediment, not a defect.
- Coconut oil turns solid below about 24°C. Stand the bottle in warm water for a few minutes.
- Buy what you'll use in a few months, and keep it away from sunlight and the stove.
How we make ours. We sun-dry the seeds and copra, press them in wood, let the oil settle naturally for several days, filter it through cloth and bottle it. Each bottle carries a batch number.