How most refined oil is made
Most packaged cooking oils are made at large scale. Seeds are pressed at high speed, and the remaining oil is often pulled out with a chemical solvent such as hexane.
The crude oil is then refined: degummed, neutralised, bleached and deodorised. The result is clear, odourless and long-lasting, but most of the seed's natural colour, aroma and taste is gone.
How chekku (wood-pressed) oil is made
In a chekku, a heavy wooden pestle turns slowly inside a wooden mortar and crushes the seeds. The low speed keeps friction heat down.
At Thuli the oil is then left to settle naturally for days instead of being chemically filtered. What you get tastes and smells like the seed it came from.
What you'll notice in the kitchen
Colour and aroma: chekku oils are darker and more fragrant. Sesame smells of sesame, groundnut of roasted peanuts.
A little goes a long way: because the flavour is stronger, many families find they use less.
Sediment: a little settling at the bottom of the bottle is natural. It's a sign the oil hasn't been stripped.
