For many centuries, sheep have regularly provided humans with meat, wool and milk. It’s not difficult to find sheep’s milk products on sale; customers really like cheese and feta cheese. Industrially produced whole milk rarely appears on store shelves, but it can always be purchased from farms and private farmsteads.
Composition and calorie content
Sheep's milk is creamy in color with a slight yellowish tint and a rich, sweetish taste. It takes time to get used to a specific smell.A sheep produces from 0.8 to 1.5 liters of milk per day. The animal can only be milked by hand.
Lamb's milk is significantly higher in calories than cow's milk. At the same time, it is better absorbed, despite the fat content of the product. It is often suitable for people who are allergic to goat's or cow's milk. Has the following characteristics per 100 grams of product:
- proteins - 6.0-6.5 grams;
- fats - 7.0-7.7 grams;
- carbohydrates - 5.0-5.5 grams;
- calorie content - 111 kilocalories
- water - about 81 grams, about 20% dry matter.
Contains vitamins A, C, D, E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, minerals: calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, sodium, copper, manganese, selenium.
Useful properties of the product
Sheep's milk is thicker and 1.5 times more nutritious than cow's milk. Its significant protein content makes it a valuable product for anemia and anorexia, and in sports nutrition for building muscle mass. Due to its high fat content, milk is not used for baby food.
Benefits of sheep's milk:
- The high content of vitamins D and E helps strengthen hair and nails.
- The increased presence of B vitamins has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system.
- The high content of calcium and vitamin D strengthens bones, teeth and nails, and prevents the development of osteoporosis.
- Zinc and potassium are essential for people with heart disease.
- Useful for people with underweight and anemia.
- Milk helps strengthen the immune system.
- Used to restore strength after illness.
- Normalizes sleep.
- Useful for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
The product is not very widespread due to the low milk yield of sheep and the inability to use a milking machine when milking. When moving sheep, it can be difficult to deliver fresh milk to the consumer.Therefore, its price is much higher than that of cow or goat.
Tips for use and consumption
If the body is not accustomed to sheep's milk, a person experiences nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Many people cannot stand the specific smell of milk. To get used to it and avoid unpleasant consequences, the product is consumed in the morning, in small portions, gradually increasing the amount of product consumed. Popular cheeses are produced from sheep's milk: Roquefort, feta, feta cheese and cottage cheese. These products are liked even by those who cannot drink whole sheep's milk because of the smell.
Consumption of ayran, yoghurt and matsoni is indicated for gastrointestinal diseases. Milk causes fewer allergic reactions than goat or cow milk. It is used in baking. Sheep's milk is absolutely contraindicated for children until 5 months of age, then it can be gradually introduced into the child's diet. Cottage cheese and yogurt are good for babies. People who cannot drink sheep's milk calmly eat fermented milk products made from it, cheese and cottage cheese.
Contraindications and harm
Any product has contraindications, sheep milk is no exception. Due to its high fat content, it should not be drunk by people with diseases of the pancreas, liver, kidneys, those prone to obesity, or with high cholesterol levels.
Do not drink milk if you are allergic to lactose or have an individual intolerance to the product.
Sheep milk products
They produce various types of cheeses, feta cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt. These products have excellent taste and are easily absorbed by the human body.
Cheese
Various cheeses are made from sheep's milk. The product matures from 2-3 months to 1-2 years.It may have a crumbly curd consistency or be hard. Products differ in fat content and salt content. There are rennet, brine and whey varieties of cheese. Rennets include: pecorino, medoro, roquefort, caciotta. For brine: feta, feta cheese, motal. Feta is made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk. For whey: vurdo, broccio, ricotta.
Brynza
This is the most popular type of pickled cheese. It is produced in small heads and can be doused with boiled water before cutting to reduce the amount of salt. Then the cheese becomes more delicate in taste.
Cottage cheese
Can be used as a separate dish or as an additive or filling. Sometimes herbs and spices are added to it. The consistency is similar to a product made from cow's milk, it can be white or yellowish. There is a folding or evaporation recipe for making cottage cheese. Folding cottage cheese is softer and more delicate in consistency. Boiled cottage cheese is denser.
When preparing folding cottage cheese, yogurt from sheep's milk is poured onto gauze folded in several layers. Then it is hung up for a day to drain the serum. To prepare boiled-down cottage cheese, fresh milk is taken, heated almost to a boil, and a glass of kefir is added to it. The resulting mixture is stirred intensively, the resulting lump of cottage cheese is taken out, cooled and the whey is allowed to drain.
Sheep milk and products made from it are the traditional food for the peoples of the Caucasus. There it is included in the diet of children, nursing and pregnant women. These peoples are known for their health, longevity, and ability to remain active in old age, perhaps due to their dietary habits, including the ability to consume sheep's milk.
