Food: Straight from the Cow

Bringing the milk to a boil. Yes, we have a local pot, don't judge. 

We recently moved to a new place and it is conveniently located across the street from a "milk dealer". Kilimanjaro has a rich tradition of cattle-raising, both in the dominant tribe of the Chagga and the Maasai. Milk is extremely common in the frequent and ubiquitous chai, cheese is available at a reasonable price, and even cheese cake is on the menu at some coffee shops.

At 7AM and 7PM each day, the residential house across the street has a small queue of people waiting for milk. The milk comes from a rural area just outside of town ensuring the deliveries are always fresh The milk is 1,200 TZS ($0.65) per liter, a very affordable price.

On occasion we'll drink it raw with our coffee but the majority of the time we bring it to a boil and then let it cool before bottling it and putting it in the fridge. We also use it to make yogurt to add to our smoothies, quite a treat!

The vast majority of developing countries I've spent time in do not have a culinary tradition of dairy, especially cows milk. Being a native of Wisconsin, I appreciate being back in a place with rich dairy!

Pouring the milk into the container. 

Ready to drink!