🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Bedouin

The Bedouin are Arabic-speaking nomadic and semi-nomadic herders of the deserts of Arabia, the Syrian Desert, Sinai and North Africa. Historically their livelihood rested on camels, goats and sheep, driven from well to well.

Camel milk was the staple on the move: a camel gives milk even when pastures are scorched, and her milk can serve as both food and drink. It is drunk fresh and soured; goat’s and sheep’s milk are made into laban (sour milk), jameed (dried balls of sour curd) and clarified butter. Offering a guest milk is a long-standing sign of hospitality.

Interestingly, among the Bedouin of Jordan the share of people who digest lactose as adults is noticeably higher than among their settled neighbors, which is linked to centuries of herding. Today most Bedouin are settled, but camel milk remains part of the culture.