インド北部ラダック地区の乳加工体系

Abstract

To understand the milk processing system in northern India, where is located in the central region of the Asian continent, and discuss its characteristics and developing process, eight households of agro-pastoralists were surveyed in Ladak, September of 2007 and then the milk processing system was compared with those in surrounding areas. The techniques of fermented milk processing series and milk cream separating series ware shared over ethnic groups among the agro-pastoralists of Ladak. The fermented milk processing series consisted of such techniques as the sour milk processing by adopting lactic fermentation, the fat extraction (butter making by churning sour milk and butter oil purifying by heating butter) and the protein extraction (cheese making by heating and dehydrating buttermilk). Churning tools were leather bag used by Tibetan and Drokpa, and rotary stick and wooden tub or pot used by Balti and Radakhi. It was considered that the milk cream separating series developed from the fermented milk processing series under such the cold climate condition as the mountainous higher area of Ladak. As the result of comparison with the milk processing systems in the surrounded areas, it was concluded that the milk processing system in Ladak took the techniques of fermented milk processing series diffused from West Asia as the base of milk processing and added churning tools of West Asia, South Asia and Central Asia to the system, and then had originally developed to the techniques of cream separating series under mountainous coldb climate condition.