A Boon From The Animal World: Cow’s Milk

Although very difficult to ascertain documents suggest that the practice of drinking cow’s milk is ancient, calculated as old as 6,000 – 8,000 B.C. Milk and other dairy products were so highly valued in ancient Egypt that only the very wealthy could afford to consume them. Beginning in the 5th century A.D., the milk of cows and sheep began to be especially prized in Europe, but it wasn’t until the 14th century that the demand for cow’s milk began to outpace that of milk from sheep. Dairy cows did not make an appearance in America until the early 17th century, when they were brought over from Europe. Milk pasteurization began in the very late 19th century, although it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that a more refined technique, ultra-high temperature pasteurization, was introduced.