Food from animas - Dairy
2 Minutes
Dairy foods and milk products for kids: learn how cow milk gives us curd, butter, cheese, and paneer. A science lesson in English.
- How milk provides calcium and turns into curd overnight
- Making butter and ghee from cream, plus cheese (paladakatti)
- Nutritious paneer, milk sweets, and other animals that give milk
What this lesson teaches
Dairy foods are food products prepared from the milk of animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, and camels. These items do not come from plants, and they supply essential nutrients like calcium and protein to help the body grow strong.
Health benefits of milk and paneer
Milk is a rich source of calcium, a mineral that helps bones develop and stay strong. It can be consumed on its own or flavored to make drinks such as rose milk, badam milk, coffee, and tea, as well as desserts like ice cream. Another major food made from milk is paneer, which contains a high amount of protein. Eating protein-rich foods like paneer helps children grow quickly and build healthy bodies.
Making curd, butter, and ghee
- Adding a small amount of previously prepared curd to milk and leaving it to rest overnight turns the entire bowl of milk into curd.
- This curd is used to prepare everyday foods and drinks, including curd rice, buttermilk, lassi, and dahi puri.
- As curd forms, a layer of fat resembling cream settles along the sides and is gathered to make butter.
- Heating this butter thoroughly transforms it into ghee, which is a healthy fat that is good for the body.
Common dairy dishes
- Cheese (paladakatti) is produced from milk and added to foods such as pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches.
- Paneer is prepared in several savory dishes, including paneer tikka, paneer butter masala, and paneer kadai.
- During special festivals, milk is cooked at home to make a variety of traditional milk sweets.
Animals that provide milk
Cows are widely known for producing the milk used in everyday dairy products. However, people also get milk from several other animals, including buffaloes, goats, and camels. The milk obtained from any of these animals can be consumed directly or processed into items like curd, butter, ghee, cheese, and paneer.