"Wood-pressed," "cold-pressed," "chekku," "ghani" — these terms are used interchangeably on labels, but they refer to different extraction methods. Understanding the difference helps you know what you're actually buying.
The Traditional Ghani / Chekku
A ghani is a traditional wooden press: a large wooden mortar with a wooden pestle driven by an animal or motor. The seed or copra is placed in the mortar and the rotating pestle crushes it slowly, releasing oil.
The defining characteristic is speed: a traditional ghani operates at very low RPM — 8 to 12 rotations per minute. At this speed, almost no heat is generated by friction. The oil emerges cool, unfiltered, and with its natural compounds intact.
Wood-pressed oil typically has a slightly different character from metal-screw-press cold-pressed oil. The crushing action of wood against wood may extract slightly different ratios of compounds. Traditionalists argue that wood pressing produces a superior flavour — and many people agree. Whether this is confirmed nutritionally is less clear.
The Modern Cold Press (Screw Press)
A screw press is a metal machine with a rotating screw that moves material from one end to another, continuously pressing it against a die or screen. Oil is squeezed out and collected.
The key variable is again speed. A slow-running screw press generates minimal heat and produces oil comparable in quality to a ghani. A fast-running screw press — used to maximise throughput — can generate enough heat to compromise the oil, even if no external heat source is used.
"Cold-pressed" strictly means the temperature doesn't exceed 50°C (or sometimes lower limits depending on the certification). A slow screw press achieves this easily. A fast press may struggle to maintain it.
How to Tell What You're Getting
The honest challenge: you often can't tell from a label. "Wood-pressed," "cold-pressed," "chekku," and "ghani" are used inconsistently across producers.
What matters in practice:
- Temperature during pressing — was it actually controlled below 50°C?
- Press speed — slow presses produce better oil regardless of whether they're wood or metal
- Freshness of the seeds — the best extraction process can't rescue rancid seeds
At Göttlich, we use both ghani-pressed (traditional wooden press) and slow-speed cold-press methods depending on the seed type. Both produce unrefined oil with the natural flavour and nutritional profile intact. We don't use high-throughput fast presses that generate excess heat.
The Flavour Difference
Wood-pressed sesame oil, in particular, has a following. The extended contact time of the sesame seeds in the wooden press produces an oil with deep, roasted-sesame notes that fast-pressed equivalents don't match. The same is true for groundnut oil — ghani-pressed versions have a distinct, full-bodied flavour.
If flavour is your priority: look specifically for ghani or wood-pressed labels. If nutrition is your priority: any properly cold-pressed oil (wood or metal) from a slow press with temperature control is comparable. The two goals often point to the same product.
