Camel farmers set to milk it as desert’s white gold becomes hip
Touted by fanatics for its alleged medical benefits and by foodies for its flavour, could this be the next craze in alternative dairy?
When the Financial Times mail room informed me that two bottles of ice-cold camel milk had arrived, my heart sank. I had spent weeks researching and championing camel milk’s status as the “future of dairy” to my colleagues; now I had to taste it. As I went to try the surprisingly thick beverage, my nose wrinkled, my lips pursed. I realised that something I had not expected was holding me back: prejudice. Camels were first domesticated for their milk in 3000BC, according to the UN, and the liquid is a staple in parts of the Middle East and North Africa, where it can be cheaper than cow’s milk. Now it is gaining popularity with producers and customers elsewhere, from health nuts in the US to farmers in sub-Saharan Africa reckoning with climate change. The milk is low in lactose, allowing it to be digested by people with a dairy intolerance and cutting into the market share of nut milks.Touted by fanatics for its alleged medical benefits and by foodies for its full flavour, camel milk ...
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