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Dairy in India
Dairy plays a significant part in numerous aspects of Indian society, including cuisine, religion, culture, and the economy.
India has the world's largest dairy herd with over 300 million bovines, producing over 190 million tonnes of milk. India is first among all countries in both production and consumption of milk. Most of the milk is domestically consumed, though a small fraction is also exported. Indian cuisine, in particular North Indian cuisine, features a number of dairy products like paneer, while South Indian cuisine uses more yoghurts and milk. Milk and dairy products play a part in Hindu religious practice and legend.
Dairy production in the Indian subcontinent has historical roots that go back 8,000 years to the domestication of zebu cattle. Dairy products, especially milk, were consumed on the subcontinent at least from the Vedic period. In the mid- to late 20th century, Operation Flood transformed the Indian dairy industry into the world's largest. Previously, milk production in India occurred mainly on household farms.
The economic impact of the dairy industry in India is substantial. Most of the milk produced comes from buffalo; cow milk is a close second, and goat milk a distant third. A large variety of dairy products like paneer, butter, ghee, and yogurt are produced by buffaloes in India. Dairy imports into India are negligible and subject to tariffs. The domestic industry is regulated by government agencies such as Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries; National Dairy Development Board; and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The history of dairy in the Indian subcontinent goes back roughly 8,000 years to the first domestication of zebu cattle, which is thought to have originated in India. By the beginning of the Indus Valley Civilisation (c. 3300 – c. 1300 BCE), zebu cattle had been fully domesticated and used for their milk. They are abundantly represented in the osteological remains and ceramics of the time. The water buffalo is also indigenous to South Asia. While wild populations were present long before domestication, they were domesticated and used for ploughing and milk by the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Goats and sheep were also domesticated in the Indus valley, though it is uncertain if they were milked.
In the Vedic period (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE), milk was one of the primary elements of the typical diet. Milk and milk products including clarified butter were consumed. The Vedas refer to milk in a number of passages and contains over 700 references to cows, which are described with high regard and referred to as aghnya (not to be killed). Both the Vedas and the Pali canon, which are rich in descriptions of contemporary culture, contain numerous references to offerings of milk products and their processing. Milk, generally boiled cow milk, was used for preparing a mixture with grains, and gruel with parched barley.
Yoghurt (curd) was another form in which milk was consumed during the period. The Vedas describe curdling of milk by mixing a portion of soured milk into it. They also mention curdling of milk by the addition of plant substances such as the bark of the palash tree and the fruit of jujube, which may have contained rennet-like enzymes. These are some of the earliest documented references to enzymatic cheese-making.
Indologist Wendy Doniger compares Vedic peoples to American cowboys, noting that they would often go on raids for the cattle of their rivals. She further observes that Vedic groups viewed cattle as a form of wealth.
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Dairy in India
Dairy plays a significant part in numerous aspects of Indian society, including cuisine, religion, culture, and the economy.
India has the world's largest dairy herd with over 300 million bovines, producing over 190 million tonnes of milk. India is first among all countries in both production and consumption of milk. Most of the milk is domestically consumed, though a small fraction is also exported. Indian cuisine, in particular North Indian cuisine, features a number of dairy products like paneer, while South Indian cuisine uses more yoghurts and milk. Milk and dairy products play a part in Hindu religious practice and legend.
Dairy production in the Indian subcontinent has historical roots that go back 8,000 years to the domestication of zebu cattle. Dairy products, especially milk, were consumed on the subcontinent at least from the Vedic period. In the mid- to late 20th century, Operation Flood transformed the Indian dairy industry into the world's largest. Previously, milk production in India occurred mainly on household farms.
The economic impact of the dairy industry in India is substantial. Most of the milk produced comes from buffalo; cow milk is a close second, and goat milk a distant third. A large variety of dairy products like paneer, butter, ghee, and yogurt are produced by buffaloes in India. Dairy imports into India are negligible and subject to tariffs. The domestic industry is regulated by government agencies such as Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries; National Dairy Development Board; and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The history of dairy in the Indian subcontinent goes back roughly 8,000 years to the first domestication of zebu cattle, which is thought to have originated in India. By the beginning of the Indus Valley Civilisation (c. 3300 – c. 1300 BCE), zebu cattle had been fully domesticated and used for their milk. They are abundantly represented in the osteological remains and ceramics of the time. The water buffalo is also indigenous to South Asia. While wild populations were present long before domestication, they were domesticated and used for ploughing and milk by the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Goats and sheep were also domesticated in the Indus valley, though it is uncertain if they were milked.
In the Vedic period (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE), milk was one of the primary elements of the typical diet. Milk and milk products including clarified butter were consumed. The Vedas refer to milk in a number of passages and contains over 700 references to cows, which are described with high regard and referred to as aghnya (not to be killed). Both the Vedas and the Pali canon, which are rich in descriptions of contemporary culture, contain numerous references to offerings of milk products and their processing. Milk, generally boiled cow milk, was used for preparing a mixture with grains, and gruel with parched barley.
Yoghurt (curd) was another form in which milk was consumed during the period. The Vedas describe curdling of milk by mixing a portion of soured milk into it. They also mention curdling of milk by the addition of plant substances such as the bark of the palash tree and the fruit of jujube, which may have contained rennet-like enzymes. These are some of the earliest documented references to enzymatic cheese-making.
Indologist Wendy Doniger compares Vedic peoples to American cowboys, noting that they would often go on raids for the cattle of their rivals. She further observes that Vedic groups viewed cattle as a form of wealth.