“Cows – Nine out of every ten glasses of milk consumed by people come from cows.

Water Buffalo – Water buffalo produce half of the milk consumed in India. Ghee, a kind of liquid butter, is made from water buffalo milk.

Goat – Some people find goat’s milk easier to digest than cow’s milk. Fat globules in goat’s milk are smaller than in cow’s milk.

Reindeer – The fat content of reindeer milk is 22%, six times as much as cow’s milk. It is the only source of milk for Laplanders in northern Scandinavia, because no other dairy animal can survive in such a cold, hostile environment. It takes two people to milk a reindeer – one to do the milking and the other to hold the reindeer’s horns.

Horse – Over 700 years ago, Mongolian warriors made a dried-out concentrated paste from horse milk. When they were on the march, they added it to water and drank it. In southeastern Russia, people use horse milk to make a slightly alcoholic drink called kumiss.

Sheep – Milk from sheep has twice the fat content of cow’s milk. Sheep milk is used to make French Roquefort and chevre cheeses.

Camel – In the hot desert, camel milk lasts longer than other types of milk. It can last for seven days at 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), and will last for three months when properly refrigerated.

Yak – In the cold mountains of Tibet, people make yak butter tea. It tastes like a salty, creamy soup that has been whipped to a froth.”

Mar. 5, 2007