Skip to main content

Mare's Milk For Health? Europeans Look To Horses For Ancient Remedy

personal chef fort lauderdale



Goat's milk. Sheep's milk. Soy milk. Almond milk. The grocery store shelves these days are filled with alternatives to dairy from cows. But in Europe, interest is growing in milk from a surprising source: horses.
While the idea of sipping mare's milk might sound unusual to Western readers, it's been a traditional staple in Central Asia, where it is often fermented into "koumiss," a mildly alcoholic drink that was adopted by Russian doctors in the mid-19th century as a treatment for tuberculosis. Patients no less illustrious than the writers Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy swore by its curative powers. In Europe today, mare's milk remains a niche product, but its reputation as a health elixir is causing trouble for producers in a more regulated age.
That includes dairy farms like Lindenhof Stud, located in the lush countryside of Brandenburg, Germany, a 45-minute train ride outside Berlin. The elegant bays, grays and chestnuts that wander over to nibble at my pockets are pedigreed sports mares. And their milk is consumed not just by their foals, but by humans. "We couldn't start our own business 'til socialism ended," Lindenhof's owner, Siegfried Dörge, says. "And then in 1991 we bought mares to breed and to milk."
Hand-milking the 10 mares takes him just half an hour a day and provides another income stream to supplement boarding, riding holidays and sales of the farm's award-winning horses.
Each mare gives about a liter of spare milk a day and will only lactate when her offspring is at her side, so the foal stays with his mother until he's naturally weaned. The milk is flash-frozen in quarter-liter packs at minus 22degrees Fahrenheit and sold either direct from the farm or via organic grocery stores. It is high in vitamin C and iron but low in fat, with levels of lactose and casein that are closer to human breast milk than cow. There was no milk for me to taste yet when I visited, but fans say it has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor, like almond milk.
There are only about 30 mare's milk producers in Germany and more scattered across Europe, chiefly in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, although few countries have national associations and there is no pan-European organization. Dörge follows the same German regulations for producing certified raw mare's milk as he does for raw milk from cows, goats and sheep, and he constantly tests for impurities.
His vigilance makes the milk pricey at nearly 10 euros (or nearly $12) a liter, but he has regular customers who come from as far as Hannover, some two hours awayto stock up. Often the clients take mare's milk to relieve skin or digestive problems. Peer-reviewed papers suggest mare's milk can objectively improve atopic dermatitis or eczema. A few studies in rats suggest that koumiss reduces mercury toxicity and that plain mare's milk enhanced rats' immune responsiveness.
But no one has yet been able to pinpoint any anti-inflammatory effect on the human digestive system, despite the enthusiastic reviews from customers on some producers' websites. Siegfried Dörge has one customer who has been purchasing mare's milk from him for 20 years. "If he stops drinking it," Dörge says, "he gets terrible eczema once again."
"If I could promote mare's milk as a medicinal product, I would probably sell three times as much," Dörge tells me, but EU regulations forbid all food producers from making curative claims. He isn't even allowed to link to the relevant studies on mare's milk from his website.
"We are at the eye of a hurricane," says Julie Decayeux. She's the only European producer selling fresh pasteurized mare's milk, and she also exports powdered milk around the world. The Belgian farmer established an equine dairy called Chevalait in Normandy, France, in 2003 to preserve the local draft horse breed, the Percheron, and is now one of the largest producers in Europe, with 200 mares.
"After the [Second World] War, with the Marshall Plan, French farmers bought tractors and sold their horses," Decayeux says. "Now there are nine draft horse breeds left in France and they are very fragile. At Chevalait we put the horses first. We're not here to make money from the horses. We are here to breed good Percherons, and the only way for that to work financially is the milk."
In any case, she adds, if you do not respect the horses, they will not produce much milk: "They are not genetically programmed to produce milk like a cow. You need a relationship with them for them to share their milk with you."
At first, mare's milk was a hard sell, and Decayeux had to attend agricultural fairs and salons every weekend to publicize it. But then word spread and Chevalait built a market for itself. She weaned her two youngest sons on mare's milk, and uses it to cook everything from béchamel sauce to chia pudding.
Decayeux estimates that some 40 percent of Chevalait's customers are dealing with skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema or inflammatory bowel problems like Crohn's disease, but 60 percent are parents feeding babies with allergies to cows' milk.
But while peer-reviewed studies suggest that mare's milk can be a safe substitute for most children with allergies to cow's milk, Chevalait can't make this a selling point, either. Under another EU regulation, food producers can only make nutritional claims about their products if those claims have been confirmed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which researches scientific claims and independently advises the EU.
Decayeux says she recently received a letter from French officials "telling me that I must remove any wording from our website that says mare's milk is the closest milk to breast milk, or else the site will be shut down."
Mare's milk producers want to see more scientific studies into the potential medical benefits of their product, but that kind of research is costly, Rainer Schubert, chairman of the German Association of Mare's Milk Producers and a retired lecturer in human physiology and nutritional medicine, wrote in an email. He calculated that any formal, rigorous medical study would cost some €350,000 [$412,000], and there's no big European mare's milk industry to underwrite the expense.
There's more science already available to support the nutritional case for mare's milk as a breast milk substitute — but Decayeux needs to jump more regulatory hurdles before she can legally make those claims. The farmer is unbowed. In April, Chevalait had a visit from the regional president of Normandy, France, Hervé Morin, who wants to help save the Percheron from extinction. In June, Decayeux spoke about mare's milk for babies at a European Horse Network working group at the European Parliament in Brussels. The Horse Council of Normandy will present a dossier concerning the nutritional properties of mare's milk to the EFSA for validation. But she says it will take two to three years for producers to get official approval to market mare's milk for infants.
Despite the delay, the tiny industry seems poised for change. In March 2017 the European Parliament voted to formulate guidelines for standards and inspections at European horse and donkey dairies, a move that Schubert thinks will help. "It could lead to an increase in awareness of mare's milk and in sales," he says.
And Julie Decayeux remains an undaunted evangelist. "I am 52 now and this is hard work, so we are looking for partners to develop the market," she laughs. "We're asking people all over the world to think about opening mare's milk farms — in America, in South America, in Africa. Why not?"

Susanna Forrest is the author of The Age of the Horse: An Equine Journey Through Human History.
personal chefs and event catering
Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach
info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232)

Popular posts from this blog

Do you Remember Herman? Sourdough Starter and Recipe

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Amish friendship bread, as well as an interchangeable starter referred to as Herman (the name varies), became a popular exchange among friends who shared the starter as well as recipes. Herman Starter Preparation time: 10 minutes Standing time: 5 days Yield: 4 cups 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup warm water 2 packages (2 1/4 teaspoons each) active dry yeast 2 cups each: milk, flour 1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over mixture; set aside until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. 2. Combine milk, flour, remaining sugar and yeast mixture in a plastic or glass container. (Do not use metal.) Stir with a wooden spoon; cover loosely. Set aside at room temperature, at least 8 hours. 3. Stir mixture once a day for three days. On the fourth day, measure out 1 cup of Herman for baking; measure 1 additional cup to give to a friend as a gift. To replenish starter: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1...

Kids Cooking Class - Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami

YaDa Chef's cooking school JUST for kids! Teaching children of all ages that cooking can be creative, full of discovery, and a lot of fun!  YaDa Chef provides hands-on cooking classes allowing kid's imaginations to run wild and free while discovering new science, math, reading, health and social skills. YaDa Chef offers a unique culinary experience offering cooking classes to children in an environment that encourages discover and creativity.  Each class is a new experience.  Themes chosen, either our one of YaDa Chef's chefs, by the child or parent assist in sharpening skills and taking the mystery out of the kitchen.  Removing the fear of the unknown while incorporating subject matter which ties into each theme. Our highly qualified chefs, in coordination of nutritional experts carry out a mission to provide an interactive learning experience giving children the opportunity to develop a life-long love of the culinary arts. Each class is designed to fa...

The History Of Mustard

Mustard was around thousands of years before Grey Poupon BY  PEGGY TROWBRIDGE FILIPPONE Mustard, a member of the Brassica family of plants, bears tiny round edible seeds and tasty leaves. Its English name, mustard ,  is derived from a contraction of the Latin  mustum ardens  meaning "burning must ."  This is a reference to the spicy heat of the crushed  mustard seeds  and the French practice of mixing the ground seeds with  must,  the young, unfermented juice of wine grapes. The condiment mustard is made from the seeds of the mustard plant. The seeds aren't flavorful until they are cracked, after which they are mixed with a liquid to become prepared mustard. The culinary history of mustard as a condiment is extensive. History of Mustard as a Condiment As a condiment, mustard is ancient. Prepared mustard dates back thousands of years to the early Romans, who used to grind mustard seeds and mix them with wine into a past...

Pitted vs Unpitted Olives — Which Are Better?

Q. Are there any differences in flavor or texture among pitted and unpitted brine-cured  olives? A. To evaluate any differences between pitted and unpitted olives, we gathered both green and black brine-cured olives from deli sections at supermarkets, as well as olives packed in plastic and glass containers. After tasting many samples, it became clear that the pitted olives suffered on two counts: they tasted saltier and their flesh was mushier. They also lacked the complex, fruity flavors of the unpitted kind. Here's why: Before being packed for sale, fresh-picked olives are soaked in brine for periods of up to a year to remove bitterness and develop flavor. Once pitted, the olives are returned to the brine for packing, which can penetrate the inside of the olive and turn it mushy and pasty, as well as increase the absorption of salt. That saltier taste can mask subtler flavors. If you have the time, it makes sense to buy unpitted olives and pit them yourself...

Raspberry Tart Recipe

To make sure the pastry stays crisp and flaky, arrange the raspberries on top no more than 30 minutes before serving. The jam not only sets the berries in place, it also adds flavor intensity and gives them a beautiful shine. PUFF PASTRY 3 cups/375g chilled all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 sticks (3/4 pound/340g) unsalted butter, thinly sliced and chilled 1/4 teaspoon/2ml fresh lemon juice About 1 cup/250ml cold water 1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon/15ml water 1/4 cup/285ml plus 3 tablespoons/45ml seedless raspberry jam 1 1/2 pints/225g fresh raspberries Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche (optional), for serving The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 4 months. TART In a chilled bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Scatter the butter over the flour. Add the lemon juice and 1 cup of cold water and stir with a wooden spoon just until the flour is moistened; add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if...

Baked Apple Streusel Pancake Bars Recipe

Have you ever mixed up a batch of pancake batter, (because they sounded so amazing 15 minutes earlier when you were in bed), o nly to find yourself in front of the stove, spatula in hand, thinking "I really don't have the patience for this?" Yields: 20 Bars Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Pancakes 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less table salt 3 tablespoons sugar 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 3/4 cups buttermilk (whole milk can be substituted without any problems) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 small apple, diced into 1/2" pieces 2 cups Granola (we used an apple cinnamon granola from Bear Naked) For Topping: 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Grease and Parchment your choice of baking dish. We used 2 8"x8" pans (for the straight s...

9 Wonderful Benefits Of Pistachios

The health benefits of pistachios include a  healthy heart , weight management, protection against  diabetes  and hypertension, and improved  digestion . The  vitamins ,  minerals , fats, and protein found in pistachio are all good for health. What Are Pistachios? Pistachios are one of the oldest edible  nuts  and are commonly used all over the world. They are native to Asia, particularly Iran and Iraq. Archaeological evidence  dates  the association of pistachios and man as early as 6,000 BC. They were cultivated in Iran, Iraq, and Syria and were introduced to the Romans only in 100 AD. Today, apart from Iran, Iraq, and Syria, pistachios are being produced in many countries such as the United States, Australia, Turkey, and China, among others. Pistachio nuts belong to the  Anacardiaceae  family from the genus  Pistacia . A pistachio tree takes about 10 to 12 years to produce the first crop. They are d...

Homemade Turkey Ham Recipe

Making your own cured turkey “ham”, is not only healthier, but in our opinion much tastier.  It will be much lower in sodium and be preservative free.  You are going to use turkey in 3 different forms. Cubed, minced and pureed.  This will give it a more “ham” like texture. Start with 2 pounds 10.5 ounces of skin off deboned turkey thigh meat Cubed Turkey 14 ounces/400 grams turkey meat, cut into cubes  1 teaspoon/4 grams salt 1/4  teaspoon/1 grams curing salt Minced/Ground Turkey (if you use pre minced make sure it’s thigh meat) 14 ounces/400 grams turkey meat 1 teaspoon/4 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon/2 grams curing salt  2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons/40mls water For The Puree 10.5 ounces/300 grams turkey meat 4 teaspoons/20mls water 1/2 teaspoon/2mls garlic powder   1 teaspoon/4 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon/2 grams curing salt  1 large egg white 2 teaspoons/10ml liquid smoke 1/2 tablespoon/2 grams smoked paprika  Trim the turkey if not trimmed alread...

Braised Lettuce (Laitues Braises): A Take On Julia Child’s Recipe

You can use almost any lettuce, such as chicory, or frisee, or Boston Bib if you are busing large heads, cut them in half. We made these pescartarian because of the shrimp stock, but vegan is easy with vegetable stock, or if serving with beef, a  beef stock and bacon. Braised lettuce is a delicious garnish for poultry, white meats such as veal or pork, or steamed white fish. It can be the main accompanied by a warm sweet potato salad. Serves 4 4 heads Romaine lettuce hearts  4 thick slices of bacon (if making not vegetarian or vegan), cut into lardon strips 1 small onion , diced 2 carrots, diced 1 tablespoon/15g plus 1/2 tablespoon/7 butter divided  1 teaspoon/5ml olive oil 1/2 cup/125ml shrimp or seafood stock (see notes above) 1/2 cup/125ml cup white wine or dry white vermouth bouquet garni: 1 parsley branch, 1 branch of thyme,1  bay leaf tied to a cheesecloth ½ tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon parsley Trim stems of lettuce and ...

Watermelon and Feta Summer Salad Recipe

Watermelon and Feta Summer Salad Recipe 1 pound/450g watermelon, rind removed and cut into bite sized pieces 1/4 pound/115g feta cheese crumbled 16 sage leaves, chopped 1 teaspoon/5ml fresh ground pepper In a large bowl place watermelon, feta cheese, chopped sage and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Serve immediately. Your ingredients and the benefits: Most people do not put watermelon and salad in the same sentence . In the food world it is not unheard of. Indeed it is really nothing new. Many of the watermelon salads I have had included mint, and occasionally basil. In Chinese cooking I was taught to have three taste ingredients; sweet, salty and sour. This was my thought process for using sage. Sage is sharply flavored and slightly bitter herb in the family of Lamiaceae, of the genus: Salvia. Sage is in the same family as basil, mint and rosemary. It is found all over the Mediterranean. Sage herb parts have many notable plant-derived chemical compounds...