Any food that is manufactured from milk is called diary.

The story of milk is as old as civilisation itself. Milk is one of mankind’s oldest, most delicious, wholesome and most essential foods. It has been said that milk is one of the only two natural substances created solely to be foods, the other being honey.

Historians tell us that man probably first began keeping cattle between 8 000 and 5 000 BC.

How do they know?

A mosaic frieze from the Euphrates Valley near Babylon shows a shelter of reeds with men milking cows and the milk being poured through a strainer into stone jars. Milk is also mentioned in some of the earliest writings. Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians wrote how they used milk in religious ceremonies and as a medicine. The Vikings carried large supplies of butter on their legendary sea voyages. In the 13th Century, Marco Polo wrote that the Tartar armies enjoyed a fermented form of horse’s milk.

Apart from being delicious, milk is packed with important vitamins, including calcium and protein.

All female mammals can produce milk to feed their young. The milk we use comes from cows.

	Did you know?
	Cows produce milk out of the food they eat and water they drink. A cow needs 65 litres of water a day and can produce the same amount of milk each day. Feed with a high nutritional value increases the quality of the milk. Milk production drops if it’s either very hot or very cold.

Fast Fact: A happy and healthy cow produces more milk.

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