🐂 Zebu

Zebu are the humped cattle of the tropics (Bos indicus), with a distinctive hump over the shoulders and a large dewlap. Zebu and humpless European cattle (Bos taurus) are traditionally regarded as separate species, but according to FAO there is no reproductive barrier between them, and dairy statistics call the females of both “cows”.

Zebu were domesticated more than 8,000 years ago in the Indus Valley from the Indian aurochs, independently of European cattle, which were domesticated about 10,500 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. From there zebu spread to Africa and Southeast Asia, and today they make up more than half of all the world's cattle.

Zebu tolerate heat well, are less vulnerable to many diseases and are undemanding: they get by on coarse fodder and crop residues. They give less milk than specialized breeds, and traditionally they are milked only when their calf is nearby. The best-known dairy breeds are Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar, Kankrej and Gir, and in Africa Kenana and Butana. To get more milk, local cows are crossed with bulls of dairy breeds: the crossbreds combine a higher milk yield with hardiness.

Why it matters to you. In the humid tropics most cattle are zebu, and the world's largest dairy herd is in India, which together with the US and China is among the biggest producers of cow's milk. So much of the milk of the tropics, which goes into dahi, ghee and other traditional products, comes from zebu and their crossbreds. When you see “cow's milk” from South Asia, it may well be zebu milk.