Camel Milk Ice Cream – Who Knows Cool Better Than Camels?

I'd walk a mile for a camel… milk ice cream cone. Maybe farther, since it's only being introduced in the United Arab Emirates. Al Ain Dairy, a noted trendsetter in the desert dairy business, "has introduced the country's first natural low fat ice cream made from camel milk," according to an article by Mohammad Shamseddine on GulfNews.com.

The company is using the expert services of Enzo La Blunda, an Italian chef and ice cream specialist, to supervise the manufacturing process.

A statement from the dairy said:

"Children who are allergic to products made from cow's milk can now enjoy the taste of ice cream. Camel milk ice cream is also safe for people who are suffering from lactose intolerance," it added.

Vitamin C found in camel milk is about three times more than in fresh cow's milk.

Weight watchers will enjoy the ice cream since the fat content of camel milk ice cream is a maximum of 2.5 per cent.

Normal cow milk ice cream contains between 6 and 9 per cent fat.

The new product is produced in three flavours: strawberry, caramel and chocolate.

Now it's very possible that few people with cow's milk protein allergy would have reactions to camel's milk proteins, since camel's milk has a different set of proteins. Few is not none, of course, and those who are anaphylactic to dairy should be very cautious.

But low in lactose? I wonder what the basis for this statement is. My Lactose Zoo page shows that camel milk has 3.3% to 5% lactose, about the same range as cow's milk. People seem to make this low-lactose claim for milk from any animal that isn't a cow and it's never true.

But just to be able to say that you licked a chocolate camel: that would be worth a lactase pill.