re: Homemade margarine

Margarine was invented in 1870 by the Frenchman Hippolyte Meg-Mouries, it was made by churning ox fat with cream.

Today margarine is made from several blends of fats and oils, liquids (water/and or milk), emulsifiers, preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, vitamins, and salt.

Margarine is made by adding hydrogen atoms to the fat molecules to make them more saturated, raising the melting point of the fat so it remains a solid at room temperature, i.e., the margarine won't run all over the table. This process, called "hydrogenation", requires the presence of a metal catalyst and temperatures of about 500 F (260 C) for the reaction to take place.

The difference between hard, soft, and liquid margarine depends on the ratio of fats (solids) to oils (liquids). Maintaining the fats and liquids in solution, rather than in layers, requires emulsifiers, which might be of either animal or vegetable origin. most margarines contain preservatives, colors, and flavors as well as milk or other dairy products.

If you can't get margarine, can I suggest ghee?

Ghee is fully clarified butter. At room temperature ghee is semisoft and creamy. Melted, it pours like liquid gold. Because of its extraordinary taste, a little ghee goes a long way in flavour. Having no milk solids, ghee has a longer shelf life - it can be stored at room temperature for months It can be heated to much higher temperatures than butter without burning.