From Bail Kolhu to Modern Kitchens: How India Traditionally Extracted Cooking Oil
From Bail Kolhu to Modern Kitchens: How India Traditionally Extracted Cooking Oil
Do you know how cooking oil was traditionally extracted in India before modern oil mills and large-scale processing became common?
There was a time when getting cooking oil was not simply a matter of picking up a bottle from a supermarket shelf. Oilseeds such as mustard, sesame and groundnut were taken to local oil pressers, where they were crushed slowly using a traditional ghani, kolhu or chekku.
At the heart of this system was a simple idea: crush the seed, separate the oil and preserve as much of its natural character as possible.
The traditional ghani was essentially a mortar-and-pestle system. A wooden or stone vessel held the seeds while a heavy pestle rotated inside it. Historically, the pestle was powered by an animal walking in a circular path around the press. As the pestle rotated, it crushed and pressed the seeds, allowing the oil to be collected.
Today, the same basic principle is being adapted for modern kitchens—with motors replacing the animal power while retaining the slow mechanical pressing concept.
This is where wood pressed oil enters the story.
What Was a Traditional Bail Kolhu?
The words ghani, kolhu and chekku refer to traditional oil-extraction systems found in different parts of India.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's documentation on traditional ghani technology, the process used a mortar and pestle arrangement in which oilseeds were crushed through pressure and rotation. Different regions developed their own variations depending on the available oilseeds and local construction materials.
In many traditional systems, the movement came from an animal such as a bullock. The animal walked around the ghani in a circular path, turning the pestle inside the mortar.The result was a deliberately slow extraction process.
Unlike the high-speed machinery associated with modern industrial oil production, traditional ghani extraction relied on mechanical pressure and time and that slowness is an important part of the story.
How Does the Wood Pressed Oil Process Work?
While modern wood-pressed systems can vary in their design, the basic principle remains similar to the traditional ghani.
1. Selecting and preparing the seeds
The process begins with the oilseed.Depending on the oil being produced, this may include mustard, sesame, groundnut or other oil-bearing seeds. The quality and condition of the raw material matter because the characteristics of the final oil depend not only on extraction but also on the seed itself.
2. Crushing and pressing
The seeds are placed inside the pressing chamber.A wooden pressing mechanism slowly crushes and presses them. The mechanical pressure breaks down the seed structure and releases the oil.
Traditional ghanis used a heavy rotating pestle, while modern versions may use an electric motor to provide the rotation. The technology has changed, but the fundamental principle—mechanical crushing of seeds to release oil—remains.
Educational material from India's oilseed-processing literature also describes the ghani as a traditional wooden mortar-and-pestle system and notes that motorized ghanis have increasingly replaced animal-powered equipment.
3. Oil collection and filtration
Once the oil is released, it is collected and may be filtered to remove suspended particles.This is different from refining. Mechanical filtration removes physical particles, while industrial refining can involve several additional processes designed to modify the oil's colour, odour, acidity and other characteristics.The exact processing steps vary between producers and oils, so consumers should always check the product label rather than assuming that every “cold pressed” or “wood pressed” oil has been produced identically.
Why Does Slow Extraction Matter?
One of the reasons traditional oil extraction has regained attention is the minimal-processing philosophy behind it. Mechanical cold pressing avoids the kind of intensive heat and chemical processing associated with some conventional oil-processing methods. A recent systematic review of cold-pressed oils found that mechanical cold pressing can help retain naturally occurring compounds such as tocopherols, phytosterols, phenolics and other bioactive components, although the composition varies significantly according to the seed, extraction conditions and storage.Slow pressing can also reduce friction-related heat compared with high-speed mechanical systems.However, it is important to understand one thing:
“Cold pressed” does not mean that the oil has never experienced any heat at all.
Mechanical pressure itself can generate heat, and temperature depends on the equipment, speed, seed condition and operating conditions.Similarly, cold-pressed oil is not automatically superior simply because it is cold pressed. Raw-material quality, hygiene, filtration, storage and authenticity all matter.This is why the process deserves attention—not just the label.
Wood Pressed vs. Traditional Bail Kolhu: What's the Difference?
The easiest way to understand today's wood-pressed technique is to think of it as a modern adaptation of an old principle.
Traditional Bail Kolhu
- Wooden or stone ghani
- Seeds crushed using a rotating pestle
- Traditionally powered by bullocks or other animals
- Slow mechanical extraction
- Oil collected after pressing
Modern Wood Pressed System
- Uses a wooden pressing chamber/mechanism
- Motor provides the rotation
- Mechanical pressure extracts oil from seeds
- Designed to bring the traditional process into a modern production environment
So, when we say “the principle is the same,” that is what we mean.
The biggest change is not necessarily the fundamental extraction concept.
It is the source of power.
Earlier, the movement came from the bullock.
Today, a motor can perform that job.
This evolution allows a traditional method to be adapted to contemporary production without completely abandoning the idea behind it.
Why Is India Rediscovering Traditional Oil Extraction?
Modern consumers are increasingly interested in understanding where their food comes from and how it is made.
Instead of looking only at the final product, people are asking questions such as:
- How were the seeds processed?
- Was the oil mechanically extracted?
- Was it refined?
- What does “cold pressed” actually mean?
- What does “Kachi Ghani” mean?
- How can I read the information on an oil bottle?
These questions are part of a broader interest in minimally processed and traditionally produced foods.
The renewed interest does not necessarily mean that everything modern is bad or everything traditional is automatically better.
Rather, it gives us an opportunity to look back at traditional food systems and understand which ideas are worth carrying forward.
How Vedriti Is Bringing the Tradition Back
This is where the story becomes relevant to today's kitchen.
At Vedriti, the focus is on bringing traditional food practices into a modern setting. Its current cooking-oil range includes wood-pressed mustard, groundnut, sesame and coconut oils, among others.
Vedriti describes its approach as combining traditional values with modern quality standards, with an emphasis on sourcing, processing and quality checks.
The idea is simple: traditional methods do not necessarily have to remain trapped in the past.
A wooden ghani once depended on an animal walking around it.
A modern ghani can use a motor.
The kitchen, the packaging and the distribution system may have changed—but the fundamental fascination with slowly pressing oil from seeds remains.
In that sense, reviving a traditional technique isn't about recreating the past exactly.
It is about understanding the past and adapting its useful principles for today's lifestyle.
You can explore Vedriti's range of wood-pressed cooking oils on its website.
Is Wood Pressed Oil the Same as Kachi Ghani?
Not necessarily.
This is an important distinction, especially because these terms are often used interchangeably in everyday conversations.
Wood pressed describes an extraction approach involving a wooden pressing system.
Kachi Ghani is a term that has specific regulatory relevance for certain oils. For example, FSSAI's standards provide conditions under which mustard oil can be labelled “Kachi Ghani” or “Cold Pressed,” including a specified natural allyl isothiocyanate level.
Therefore, consumers should not assume that every product carrying words such as “wood pressed,” “cold pressed” and “Kachi Ghani” means exactly the same thing.
And that is precisely why reading an oil bottle label matters.
Explore More About Traditional Cooking Oils
Want to learn more about how traditionally extracted oils are made and how to understand the information on your oil bottle?
Explore Vedriti's range of wood-pressed cooking oils and discover the story behind traditional oil extraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Bail Kolhu?
Bail Kolhu is a traditional Indian oil-extraction system in which oilseeds are crushed using a ghani or kolhu, historically powered by bullocks. The rotating pestle crushes the seeds and releases their oil.
2. What is a Ghani?
A ghani is a traditional oil press based on a mortar-and-pestle mechanism. Depending on the region, it may be made from wood or stone and can have different designs.
3. Is wood pressed oil cold pressed?
Wood-pressed oil is generally associated with slow mechanical extraction and may be described as cold pressed when it meets the relevant definition or conditions. However, consumers should check the specific product and its labelling rather than assuming the terms are always interchangeable.
4. Does wood pressing preserve nutrients?
Cold mechanical extraction can help retain some naturally occurring compounds that may be reduced during more intensive refining. However, the nutritional composition depends on the type of seed, processing conditions and storage.
5. Why was oil traditionally extracted using bullocks?
Traditional ghanis required a rotating force to move the pestle. Bullocks provided that power by walking in a circular path around the press.
6. Do modern wood presses still use bullocks?
Modern systems can use electric motors instead. The power source changes, but the basic mechanical concept of pressing seeds remains similar.
7. What oils can be made using a ghani or wood press?
Traditional ghani systems have been used for several oilseeds, including mustard, sesame and groundnut. Modern wood-pressed producers may offer a wider range depending on their equipment and process.
Conclusion: An Old Idea for a New India
The story of Indian cooking oil is more than a story about machines.
It is a story about seeds, farmers, local oil pressers, traditional knowledge and the relationship between food and the people who produce it.
For generations, oil was extracted using a simple principle: crush the seed slowly and collect the oil.
The Bail Kolhu represented that approach.
Today, modern wood-pressed systems are giving that principle a new place in contemporary food production.
The goal isn't necessarily to reject modern technology.
It is to ask a better question:
Can we use modern technology while still respecting the traditional wisdom that came before it?
For brands such as Vedriti, this question sits at the heart of bringing traditional food practices back into modern kitchens—while maintaining contemporary standards of sourcing, processing and quality.
And if you thought Wood Pressed, Cold Pressed and Kachi Ghani were all the same thing, there's more to discover.
The next time you pick up a bottle of cooking oil, don't just look at the price.
Look at the process.
Explore Vedriti
Want to understand more about traditionally made cooking oils? Explore Vedriti's range of wood-pressed oils and learn more about its approach to traditional food processing.
Explore the Wood Pressed Oil range: Vedriti Cooking Oils
Read more about understanding oil labels: A Complete Guide to Understanding Oil Bottle Labels
