Comments on: When Did Humans First Start Drinking Milk?

By: captbill98

captbill98 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:50:31 +0000

They started drinking milk when they realized how nice a container it came in…

By: lucas

lucas — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:44:47 +0000

This is why white people smell like dairy.

By: Foreigner1

Foreigner1 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:15:51 +0000

Europeans stay babies well after they are not anymore.

By: Ajan

Ajan — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:54:32 +0000

Nice Coincidence!! I was having milk while reading this..

By: Lady Helena Handbasket

Lady Helena Handbasket — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:34:55 +0000

Well, Aniscandis, you could have referred him to the many references to milk in the Bible (2000+ years old)

By: andiscandis

andiscandis — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:24:07 +0000

Thanks for posting this. My husband decided a few weeks ago that people have only been drinking milk for like 500 years and he’s been telling people that non-stop. I tried to set him straight, but I had no evidence. Until now….

By: eli

eli — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:50:17 +0000

I’m currently writing my thesis on vitamin D and hearing that milk is a natural source of vitamin D is a shock. Milk is not a natural source of vitamin D. Fatty fish and some mushrooms are the only natural sources of vitamin D. I would love to see the citation on this research article…

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

By: meg

meg — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:39:03 +0000

Also, unless you have very specialized pumps, you can’t easily milk any litter-bearing species. Just not enough milk out of each teat!

Young drinking milk is a mammalian trait, adults drinking milk (much less that of another species) is exclusively human. Almost all older animals become lactose intolerant to some degree, and humans likely were universally not exempt from that rule until 7500ish years ago. Now it’s just far eastern and other non-dairy-consuming cultures (and people) that tend to develop lactose intolerance on a large scale.

(I’m a Dairy Science major who’s studying for a Lactation exam right now. do excuse me :/)

By: meg

meg — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:33:10 +0000

Whale milk would taste like…well, something like meaty lard in water. It’s about 1/3 fat, and has a ridiculously high protein percentage as well. About 50% solids.

I don’t know if that or gray seal milk would be worse…gray seal is over half fat and I think 70% solids. Blech.

By: Ali S.

Ali S. — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:25:21 +0000

My guess is somebody had some ancient cookies and needed something to go down smoothly with it.

By: Katey

Katey — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:00:45 +0000

It’s really not so bad when you think that there are some obscure cultures still that drink the blood of their horses to survive when travelling…

By: valves manufacturer

valves manufacturer — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:14:23 +0000

7500 years ago, it’s looks very interesting.

By: A

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:28:05 +0000

Suck on that, PETA!

By: mad hatter girl

mad hatter girl — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:26:13 +0000

I’m going to phrase Ms. Bensen’s question a bit differently:

“I wonder who first looked at a cow and said, ‘I’m gonna see what happens when I pull this thing that is on the underside of this animal and drink whatever squirts outta it….’.” =D =D =D

By: TerraIncognita

TerraIncognita — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:53:16 +0000

Humans started drinking milk when they started to be fed by mom’s milk, which by the way, it’s not lactose-free.

By: Eric Plourde

Eric Plourde — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:35:57 +0000

elizabeth: because pigs don’t produce milk. Sows do. =D
Seriously though, there is mare, ewe, cow, goat and camel milk drunk and eaten all over the world, but their udders are easy of access, whereas a sow are not. Plus pigs have long been considered filthy animals in many cultures, so another obstacle to sow milk right there.

… i wonder what elephant or whale milk taste like…

By: Foreigner1

Foreigner1 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:34:58 +0000

So I’m really a throwback to some 7.500 years or more ago- I’m intolerant of the stuff…

By: elizabeth

elizabeth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:07:06 +0000

My boyfriend often asks why we don’t drink pig’s milk. We eat the meat from a pig, and we drink cow and goat milk. I never have an answer for him.