What are the traditional uses of reindeer milk in different cultures?
Reindeer milk is best documented as part of Sami food traditions in northern Scandinavia. It was drunk fresh, soured into tatmjolk and made into renost cheese, which was often used instead of cream in coffee. We found no reliable sources for other cultures or for medicine and soap uses, so those older claims are not repeated.
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In this article
What is reindeer milk traditionally used for?
The best-documented use is food among the Sami, the Indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, who herd reindeer. Milk was eaten fresh, made into cheese, or acidified into tatmjolk, a dense soured milk. The Slow Food entry calls reindeer milk important in the everyday Sami diet, though the supply is very small.
What is renost?
Renost, or reindeer cheese, is a traditional Sami cheese listed in the Slow Food Ark of Taste. Curdled milk was poured into a reindeer stomach, closed, and hung in the open air. Today’s few producers use linen cloths to drain it, and the cold makes it hard and grainy. It has a quite strong taste, similar to an aged cheese, and is sometimes smoked to keep longer.
Why was cheese put in coffee?
Renost was often used in coffee in place of cream, according to the Slow Food entry. It is a regional custom, not something to expect elsewhere.
| Use | What it involved |
|---|---|
| Fresh milk | Consumed as milk |
| Tatmjolk | Milk acidified into a dense soured milk |
| Renost cheese | Curds drained, hardened by the cold, sometimes smoked |
| Coffee | Cheese used in place of cream |
Why is it rare today?
Female reindeer produce very little milk, which makes large-scale production impossible, and production remains very small.
What about other cultures, medicine and cosmetics?
Some web pages say reindeer milk is used in traditional medicine, soaps and skin products around the world. The only source we opened covers the Sami, and we found nothing from an official health body on these claims, so we do not repeat them. Health claims such as lowering cholesterol are likewise unsupported here.
Can you try it?
Mostly through renost, produced in tiny amounts in northern Scandinavia. If you find any, buy from a named producer.
People also ask
Who traditionally used reindeer milk?
The Sami people of northern Scandinavia, who consumed it fresh, soured it into tatmjolk and made renost cheese.
Why do Sami put cheese in coffee?
The Slow Food Ark of Taste says renost was often used in coffee in place of cream.
Is reindeer milk used in medicine?
Some websites say so, but we found no reliable or official source, so we do not claim it.
Sources
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