Got Camel Milk?: UAE Product Might Be Headed to the U.S.

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Image by © Nigel Pavitt/JAI/Corbis

European Union health officials have given the United Arab Emirates the go ahead to start exporting camel’s milk. That’s right, camel.

The EU will be conducting inspections and if the milking facilities pass, powdered camel milk will be exported to Europe, and possibly to Asia and the U.S. in the future. The Dubai company, Camelicious, produces the milk and is hoping to profit from exporting to Western markets. The company has been selling camel milk in the UAE since 2006 and is enthusiastic about sharing the benefits of camel’s milk in new markets.

Apparently camel’s milk has more health benefits than the boring old cow variety: it has up to three times more vitamin C and can be digested by those who are lactose intolerant.

Um great, but what about the taste? Camels that eat wild brush from the desert are said to produce milk with a more “salty” flavor, but Camelicious camels are fed a special diet of hay, carrots and dates to help improve the taste of the milk. The company also produces milk with added chocolate, strawberry, date and saffron flavors.

“We know this isn’t what you’d call a mainstream product in the West,” David Wernery, legal adviser for Camelicious, told the Associated Press. “It’s probably going to be a niche thing at first.”

It is hard to imagine pouring camel’s milk over your cereal in the morning, but for a country that has embraced The Double Down, giving camel’s milk a try shouldn’t seem that scary.  (via the Associated Press)