🥛 Donkey milk

Donkey milk is one of the leanest milks of all dairy animals: it usually has less than 1% fat and about 1.5–2% protein, but about 6–7% lactose. In its protein and lactose content and its low share of caseins, it is considered one of the closest to human milk, although it provides noticeably less energy because it has much less fat.

A distinctive feature of donkey milk is its very high lysozyme content: according to the FAO, 100–200 mg per 100 g, compared with mere micrograms in cow’s milk. Like mare’s milk, it is poorly suited to cheesemaking: it is rich in whey proteins and low in caseins. Even so, Serbia produces pule, a very expensive cheese made from a mix of donkey and goat milk.

A jenny gives little milk — by various estimates about 1–2 litres a day — so the product is rare and expensive. In Europe it is used in infant nutrition in some clinical studies of cow’s milk protein allergy, and in cosmetics; there is a well-known legend that Cleopatra bathed in donkey milk. The FAO notes that more research is needed on feeding it to infants, partly because of its possible effect on iron metabolism.