{{Short description|Milk produced by female horses}} [[File:Mare milking Suusamyr.jpg|thumb|Milking of a mare in Kyrgyzstan]] [[File:Pari fermier Marché de noël 2018 4.jpg|thumb|Cosmetics made of mare milk in Paris, France]] '''Mare milk''' is milk lactated by female horses, known as mares, to feed their foals. It is rich in whey protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin C,<ref name="milk">{{cite book |editor=Young W. Park |editor2=George F. W. Haenlein| title =Handbook of Milk of Non-Bovine Mammals| publisher =John Wiley & Sons| year =2008| page =293| isbn =978-0-470-99972-1}}</ref> and is a key ingredient in kumis. In several European countries, including Germany, it is sold powdered.<ref name="milk"/>
Mare milk is sometimes chosen over cow milk for its purported health benefits.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Szkolnicka |first1=Katarzyna |last2=Mituniewicz-Małek |first2=Anna |last3=Dmytrów |first3=Izabela |last4=Bogusławska-Wąs |first4=Elżbieta |title=The use of mare's milk for yogurt ice cream and synbiotic ice cream production |journal=PLOS ONE |date=7 August 2024 |volume=19 |issue=8 |article-number=e0304692 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0304692|doi-access=free|pmid=39110654 |pmc=11305560 |bibcode=2024PLoSO..1904692S }}</ref> A niche market considers it a remedy for skin or digestive problems. Peer-reviewed papers suggest it can reduce atopic dermatitis or eczema.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/12/627454097/mares-milk-for-health-europeans-look-to-horses-for-ancient-remedy?t=1550226572602 |title=Mare's Milk For Health? Europeans Look To Horses For Ancient Remedy |last=Forrest |first=Susanna |work=NPR |date=July 12, 2018 |access-date=August 17, 2020}}</ref> It is used to make cosmetics and can form cheese with camel rennet, but not bovine.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2015/09/08/technique-cheese-horse-donkey-milk/ |title=Technique developed to make cheese from horse and donkey milk |access-date=2019-03-04 |archive-date=2021-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028131252/https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2015/09/08/technique-cheese-horse-donkey-milk/ }}</ref>
==See also== * Horse meat * Donkey milk * Goat milk * Moose milk * Sheep milk * Camel milk
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Milk by animal Category:Female horses Category:Horse products
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