SC - Modern vs. Medieval milk and cattle- Long

[Philippa Alderton]

Anne-Marie asks:

>Now, back to medieval food stuff...do you guys think that modern grocery
store milk is anything like real medieval milk? Why or why not? And if not,
how can we approximate the real deal? Or do we care?<

First off, our modern milk is pasteurized and homogenized, which medieval
milk was not. Further, our modern milk is set to very tight standards of
butterfat, which again, medieval milk was not.

Modern milk is produced under very high sanitation standards by cows which
have been bred for high milk production. The milk is then relieved of its
butterfat, and sold as whole milk, or relieved of higher amounts of
butterfat, and sold as 1%, 2%, or skim milk. Most modern commercial dairies
remove all butterfat, and return a certain amount, as needed, to the batch
in order to make the milk adhere to US standards for whatever grade of
(drinking) milk being sold. Many of the older people I know sat that modern
"whole" milk has much less butterfat than what they had as kids, and I tend
to agree.

Different breeds of cattle also produce different amounts of butterfat as
well. I happen to be a particular fan of Jersey milk, when I can get it,
because of its particular richness. The quality of milk varies not only by
breed, but by what the cow eats- for all my love of milk, onions, and
garlic, even I won't drink the milk of a cow which has gotten into wild
onions!!!!! The Jersey, btw, is an interesting breed- it was originally
developed, as I understand it, as a breed which is both useful for milk,
and for meat.

Another breed whose milk I thoroughly enjoy is that of the Murray Grey, a
beef breed, which developed as a sport from the Black Angus- it is
reknowned for its high meat to bone ratio (meaning more meat by weight when
you butcher), its disease resistance and ability to deal with harsh
conditions, its ability to interbreed with other breeds, whether milk or
beef varieties, and improve them, and the fact that its calves are born
small (meaning easy birthings), but gain weight rapidly due to the high
quality of their milk.

Which brings me back around to the original intent of the question
Anne-Marie posed, the difference between modern and period milk. First off,
their cattle were pretty much any old cattle, bred for both meat and milk,
not to mention usage as oxen- all around beasties. In modern times, we
rarely use oxen, and if we raise cattle, we're raising them for meat, milk,
and veal, veal being an offshoot of the milk industry- male calves which
are sold since they will prevent the mothers from milking ( a Momma cow CAN
stop the milk flowing by an act of will, if she has a calf she wants to
feed).

Further, Medieval cattle were not fed as "scientifically" and consistantly
as our cattle are, so their milk would vary in quality by the season and
the forage they could get.

And now, pasteurization and homogenization. Pasteurization was developed by
Louis Pasteur as a method for helping milk keep longer- all it is, is heat
treating the milk so all the little beasties in it die, and don't cause it
to spoil as quickly. We moderns are much smarter than that- we seldom have
little beasties in the milk, we've replaced them with all sorts of hormones
and chemicals.

Homogenization is a process which agitates the milk so that the butterfat
doesn't separate out- after all, if it did that, we could make our own
butter, cream, and skim milk, thus depriving businessfolk every where of an
easy buck.

In the recipes I've been redacting for personal, and hopefully, later
feast, usage, I have been using whole milk, and keeping cream on hand, in
case I feel the recipe needs a bit more butterfat. I suspect that if I ever
do a feast, I'll get raw milk from a friend of mine who raises cows
organically locally, and pasteurize it myself, as I do my own milk, as I
have the time.


Phlip
Caer Frig
Barony of the Middle Marches
Middle Kingdom

Southeastern Ohio

Phlip at bright.net

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider that cain't be throwed.
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