Milk Culture of West Asia

Abstract

West Asia stretches from Turkey in the west and north to Afghanistan in the east and the Arabian Peninsula in the south, and its milk culture can be characterized through a geographical classification of milk processing techniques and milk use across the region. First, an account of the milk processing system of pastoralists in Syria demonstrates how effectively the concept of milk processing systems provides a full picture of a particular area’s milk processing technology. Second, the examination of the milk processing systems of three ethnic groups in Iran reveals that while milk processing techniques are cultural products developed by a particular group, they are shared across ethnic boundaries within a given area. Finally, the inclusion of cases reported in the literature in a geographical classification of milk processing technology based on the revised model of milk processing systems brings to light the features of West Asian milk culture.