On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 26

woody scrub Its omnivorous nature, small size, and good yield of distinctively flavored milk — the highest of any dairy animal for its body weight — have made it a versatile milk and meat animal in marginal agricultural areas The Sheep The sheep, Ovis aries, was domesticated in the same region and period as its close cousin the goat, and came to be valued and bred for meat, milk, wool, and fat Sheep were originally grazers on grassy foothills and are somewhat more fastidious than goats, but less so than cattle Sheep’s milk is as rich as the buffalo’s in fat, and even richer in protein; it has long been valued in the Eastern Mediterranean for making yogurt and feta cheese, and elsewhere in Europe for such cheeses as Roquefort and pecorino The Camel The camel family is fairly far removed from both the bovids and ovicaprids, and may have developed the habit of rumination independently during its early evolution in North America Camels are well adapted to arid climates, and were domesticated around 2500 BCE in central Asia, primarily as pack animals Their milk, which is roughly comparable to cow’s milk, is collected in many countries, and in northeast Africa is a staple food The Origins of Dairying When and why did humans extend our biological heritage as milk drinkers to the cultural practice of drinking the milk of other animals? Archaeological evidence suggests that sheep and goats were domesticated in the grasslands and open forest of present-day Iran and Iraq between 8000 and 9000 BCE, a thousand years before the far larger, fiercer cattle At first these animals would have been kept for meat and skins, but the discovery of milking was a significant advance Dairy ... countries, and in northeast Africa is a staple food The Origins of Dairying When and why did humans extend our biological heritage as milk drinkers to the cultural practice of drinking the milk of other... that sheep and goats were domesticated in the grasslands and open forest of present-day Iran and Iraq between 8000 and 9000 BCE, a thousand years before the far larger, fiercer cattle At first these animals would have been...rumination independently during its early evolution in North America Camels are well adapted to arid climates, and were domesticated around 2500 BCE in central Asia, primarily as pack animals Their