🥛 Buffalo milk

Buffalo milk is the world’s second most produced milk after cow’s milk. According to the FAO, in 2010 domestic (water) buffalo accounted for about 13% of the world’s milk, and later estimates put it at about 15%. The main producers are India and Pakistan, where on many farms the buffalo matters more than the cow. Milk comes mainly from river buffalo; the swamp buffalo of South-East Asia are used mostly as draught animals.

Buffalo milk is thick and white (it contains almost no carotene), and on average it has more than twice as much fat as cow’s milk: about 7.5%, ranging roughly from 5 to 9%. That makes it richer in calories and especially good for processing: according to the FAO, 1 kg of butter takes about 14 kg of cow’s milk but only about 10 kg of buffalo milk.

Buffalo milk is made into ghee, paneer, dahi and many South Asian sweets, and in Italy into mozzarella di bufala campana. Its main proteins are similar to those of cow’s milk, so buffalo milk is not considered a substitute for people allergic to cow’s milk protein.