Delicious goat milk specialties from South Tyrol’s mountain goats

Like their distance relatives chamois and Alpine ibex, goats are agile climbers that can navigate steep, virtually impassable terrain. They are, at the same time, very low-maintenance animals: for goats, even the sparse meadows and grasslands found at alpine altitudes – where basic nourishment is too scarce for cattle to survive – qualify as summer pastures. South Tyrol’s largest goat populations thrive in the west, particularly in the Passiria Valley from which Val Passiria goats take their name. These tiny, stocky mountain goats – which have coats of varying shades – have adapted brilliantly to their environment.

Human consumption of goat’s milk is a practice as old as the history of milking itself. Goat’s milk has a characteristic bitter and sour taste that is considerably more variable than cow’s milk. There are many factors that affect the taste of the milk: not only the season and the composition of the food the animal ingests, but also the well-being and mood of the animal. Although drinking goat’s milk had been an uncommon practice for some time in many parts of Europe, it is currently experiencing a little renaissance. Besides having particularly valuable nutritional qualities, goat’s milk causes the general population fewer allergic reactions, and intolerances are generally lower in comparison with cow’s milk.

Only 16 out of 4,000 consortium members contribute to Mila’s yield of goat’s milk. An animal population of about 400 yields about 2 to 4 litres per animal, per day. The comprehensive region-wide GMO-free feeding guidelines in South Tyrol are valid, of course, for goats as well as for cattle. Goat’s milk is the basis for a small assortment of delicate specialties made specifically for enthusiasts.