Hindi Word Highlight: Dudh (दूध)

Translation: Milk

Pronunciation: DOOdh

Milk in Delhi comes two ways - in little plastic bags or in shelf-stable cartons. It's rich and creamy and tastes a little funny. And it apparently DOES NOT COME FROM COWS.

This past Saturday, I spent the day with my new best friend (aka the mom of one of my existing BFFs, who conveniently lives in Delhi right now). We went shopping, had lunch, went to a fantabulous grocery store called Spencer's, and then headed back to her home. After she packed up several meals worth of food for me to take home (amazing), we chatted while she made us some chai. As she added the milk to the pot, she mentioned that she had some cows milk on hand for when she ran out of milk. 

Me: Wait, what? What do you mean 'cows milk'? How is that different from regular milk? 

Mrs. K: Milk in North India doesn't usually come from cows. 

Me: Seriously? What have I been drinking?

Apparently, despite the abundance of cows in Delhi (see below), the milk I've been putting in my coffee comes from...water buffalo. Water buffalo! You wouldn't know this from looking at the carton. "Ingredients: Milk" is all it says. Species not specified. 

An extensive search of the website for one of the main brands of milk in Delhi, Mother Dairy, led me to find that it clearly indicates that its ghee comes from buffalo milk, but no other milk product lists originating mammal. I might never have known!

More cows on my street.