MILK. ARAB. Possession, property. Malik, owner, king ; Malan, queen ; Mamliik, possessed. MILK.
Halib, . . ARAB., HER. Mum, . . . MALEAL. Niu=ju, Niu-nai, . CHIN. Shir, Pass• Lait, FR Leite, PORT.
Mikh, GER Moloko, . . . RMS.
Dud'h, . . . . , HIND. Ellakerrie, . SINGH.
Latte, IT Leche, SP.
Lac, LAT. Mjolk, Sw. Susu, Ayar susu, MALAY. Pal, Palu, . TAM., TEL.
Except among the 'Hindus, the fresh milk of cows, goats, "etc., is little used as an article of diet in Southern and Eastern. Asia. 'It may even be said that aversion to fresh milk as an article of food obtains among nearly all the Chinese, Indo Chinese, and Malay races, including specifically the Khasiya, Mikir, etc., of the eastern frontier of British India, the Garo and Naga, the Burmese, the Sumatran races, the Javanese, and Chinese. The Brahui and Baluch nomades in the Peshin though they will give milk in exchange for other commodities, yet they consider it a disgrace to make money by it. With the Arabs the term labban (milk-seller) is an opprobrium and a dis grace. They, too, will give or exchange, but not sell milk. Possibly the origin of the sentiment may be the recognising of a traveller's guest-right to call for milk gratis. No one will sell milk even at Mecca, except Egyptians, a people supposed to be utterly without honour. Camel's milk is con sumed by millions in Asia to this day, as it has been from time immemorial, —milk and its products forming, indeed, the main means of subsistence of various tribes. The Jews probably used it from their earliest times, as 30 milch camels were amongst the cattle Jacob presented to his brother Esau (Genesis xxxii. 15). Milk is not used fresh by the Chinese of Canton, but is curdled and eaten at night with sugar and vinegar. In the northern parts of China, and especially in Mongolia, milch cows are in great numbers, and milk is used there fresh, also made into butter and cheese. Milk of mares is largely used by the Mongol. They extract from it a spirituous liquor, which they call koumiss. Mare's milk used by the Tartars for making koumiss has 17 per cent. of solid matter, and 8 per cent. of sugar of milk, which renders it very liable to undergo alcoholic fermentation. It was in use in China during the Han dynasty. The Tartars make other drinks from whey and butter-milk. Mare's milk and COWS, milk are used by the Kalmuk Tartars. They boil it on being drawn, and let it sour, and make it undergo various fermentations, and use it largely in summer for inebriation. All their
preparations of milk are called Tchigan. The drinks prepared from pure milk of mares (the koumiss of the Tartars) are named Gunna Tchigan or Horse Tchigan ; those in which mare's and cow's milk enter are called Besiek ; some cow's milk is named Airek, and all kinds of fresh milk Ussoun. The milk intended for distillation is only allowed to remain 24 hours in summer in the skin bottles to sour, but in the cold weather of winter it is left for 2 or 3 days. The spirit is several times distilled ; it is drank warm, but before drinking, libations are poured out to the spirit of the air.
Milk of the. domesticated buffalo is richer than that of the cow, and is supposed to yield more butter. In British India a mixture of buffalo's and cow's milk is often used in making butter. The fluid refuse of arrack distilleries is largely drank by horned cattle, and is supposed to increase their milk. In Tibet, Mongolia, and parts of the Chinese empire, the zebu (Bois Indicus) and the yak (Boa grunniens) supply milk. The Akit, used by the Arabs as a refreshing drink, is known by the name of Mazir, as well as Iqt (a corruption of Akit). When very sour it is called Saribah, and when dried without boiling, Jamidah. The Arabs make it by evaporating the serous part of the milk ; the remainder is then formed into cakes or lumps with the hands, and spread upon hair cloth to dry. They eat it with clarified butter, and drink it dissolved in water. It is con sidered by the Arab a cooling and refreshing beverage, but boasts few attractions to the stranger. The Baluchi and wild Sindian tribes call this preparation of milk Knit or Kurut, and i make it in the same way as the Bedouins. It is perhaps the source of the English word curds. The Negroes of Abcokuta, on the IV. coast of Africa, abstain from it, and the Portuguese on both coasts of Africa avoid it. Milk is frequently mentioned in Scripture. Milk of goats, Proverbs xxvii. 27 ; of cows, Deuteronomy xxxii. 14, 1 Samuel vi. 7 ; milk clotted, Genesis xviii. 8. The following analyses of several kinds of milk is by MM. 0. Henry and Chevallicr, in 100 parts door; Yule's Mission ; Burton's Mecca, i. p. 362 ; Wall. i. p. 42 ; Gray; Jam. Ed. J., 1830, p. 360.