Would You Eat Ice Cream Made From Mare’s Milk?

Sixty human volunteer taste-testers found that yoghurt and ice cream made from mare’s milk to be creamy and visually appealing with a good taste and texture.

© by GrrlScientist for Forbes | LinkTr.ee

Would you eat ice cream made from mare’s milk? (Credit: CC0 / Public Domain.)

The ice creams that most people are familiar with are made by adding cow’s milk to cow’s cream, along with a variety of other ingredients. But can a person create a tasty frozen treat if one replaces cow milk with horse milk?

Indeed they can. A team of scientists at the West Pomeranian University of Technology tested this idea by creating four types of ice cream from mare’s milk and different bacteria and they report on the health benefits of these creations.

Consuming mare’s milk is not be as weird as some people might think: historically, consumption of mare’s milk has been an important part of Mongolian culture for thousands of years where it has been fermented into a potent alcoholic drink, airag, and where it is thought to impart yet-to-be-proven health benefits to those who consume it.

Milking the horses in the Orkhon valley. The milk is fermented to make airag, a potent alcoholic drink, or turned into a variety of snacks. (Credit: Scott Presly / CC BY 2.0)

Foodies and consumers alike are becoming increasingly interested in so-called functional food items…