Yak milk
As yak milk is called the milk of yaks . The mean fat content of yak milk is over 6 percent and fluctuates between five and 8.6% over the course of the lactation period . Yak milk has an average energy content of 3640 kJ (871 kcal) per kilogram , while cow's milk has an average of 2680 kJ (640 kcal). Yak milk is an essential source of nutrients and energy on the Central Asian high plateaus, which are not suitable for keeping dairy cows .
Milk production
Yaks are a type of real cattle . A targeted breeding of yaks, which were and are kept by mountain nomads who mostly live in subsistence farming, was largely omitted. For this reason there are very few yak breeds compared to domestic cattle. These are mostly the result of geographical separation and have not been specifically bred. A targeted breeding for milk yield has not been carried out. Yaks give relatively little milk, and due to the extreme climatic conditions and the associated low food supply, the lactation period is short compared to cattle. Yaks give milk for an average of five months, while modern dairy cows have a lactation period of over 300 days.
Usually has the cow with a calf being upgraded are. Usually two people are needed for milking. In most rearing areas, yaks are only milked once a day. Milking twice can increase the milk yield, but the additional work is out of proportion to the additional milk obtained.
Typical products made from yak milk
Typical products made from yak milk include yak butter Öröm , a thick cream similar to clotted cream and Sar Tos , the so-called yellow butter, whose starting product is Öröm. Yak butter is drunk in salted butter tea, among other things. Biaslag is a cheese that is made from a primary product similar to thick milk. Choormog is a slightly alcoholic drink that is made from a yogurt-like product by adding yeast. Archi is more alcoholic and is obtained by distillation.
literature
- Jürgen Lensch, Peter Schley and Rong-Chang Zhang (eds.): The Yak (Bos grunniens) in Central Asia , Gießener Abhandlungen zur Agrar- und Wirtschaftsforschung der European East, Volume 205, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-428-08443-8
Web links
- Yak breeding Pongratz - detailed description of yak breeding (housing conditions, care, problems, precautionary measures) on an alpine farm in Austria.
supporting documents
- ↑ Lensch et al., P. 179