When the desert makes cheese

Last weekend at LOTS, a quiet miracle happened. We brought camel cheese to a chef tasting with LOTS and the reaction surprised everyone. On a wooden board, nestled among familiar cheeses, sat something the world had barely tasted: India’s first camel cheese.

The room leaned in. Chefs sniffed, broke off slivers, and closed their eyes. The flavor was clean, nutty, a little salty like a whisper of the desert carried on the tongue. For a moment, Bajju, a small village in Rajasthan’s Thar, had entered the global food map.

Milking innovation in the desert

Cheese has always been the art of turning milk into memory. But making cheese from camel milk is not easy its proteins resist curdling, its fat globules behave differently, and it needs special fermentation cultures

But impossible is what the desert does best.
With a bit of microbial wizardry and a lot of patience, Bahula and its partners cracked the code. The result? A cheese that is not just food, but a story: of adaptation, innovation, and survival.

The science behind the cheese

Camel milk is already known as “white gold” for its health benefits. It’s rich in insulin-like proteins that help regulate blood sugar, has smaller fat molecules that are easier to digest, and is loaded with immune-boosting compounds. Translating that into cheese means you now have a functional food that chefs love and nutritionists cheer.

Imagine a cheese platter that doesn’t just pair with wine, but also supports gut health. A ravioli filling that lowers sugar spikes. A desert terroir on your plate.

More than cheese: a cultural moment

Every time you bite into camel cheese, you’re not just tasting a new product. You’re participating in a cultural shift, one where pastoralists of Rajasthan, once written off as “dying livelihoods,” are now innovators in the global food story.

This isn’t charity. This is cuisine.
It’s slow food meeting science, tradition meeting terroir.

What’s next?

Camel cheese will travel. From Thar to Delhi, from India to the world. Like quinoa, like kombucha, it will go from niche to necessary. And maybe, years from now, someone in New York or Tokyo will casually say at brunch, “Oh, have you tried the camel brie? It’s divine.”

If you’d like a tasting note or a behind-the-scenes write-up on the technique, reply to this email or you can try out our cheese from our website.

Why This Ancient Superfood Deserves a Place in Your Daily Diet

In the arid heartlands of Rajasthan, camels have long been companions to desert dwellers. But beyond their endurance lies a lesser-known gift: their milk.

At Bahula, we work with pastoralist communities to bring this ancient, nutrient-rich elixir to modern shelves. And while tradition has long revered camel milk, recent science is validating what our ancestors always knew—it’s truly healing.

It’s considered the second closest milk to human milk after donkey milk and offers significantly better nutritional and therapeutic properties than cow or goat milk. (Stay tuned for our next blog where we break this comparison down!)

Here’s what makes camel milk special:

It Heals the Gut and the Immune System

Modern lifestyles are hard on the gut. Poor diets, stress, and antibiotics disrupt our microbiome. Camel milk helps bring balance back.

It contains lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, and bioactive peptides that support gut lining repair, reduce inflammation, and regulate immune response1. It’s especially beneficial for people with:

• IBS or Crohn’s disease
• Autoimmune conditions
• Leaky gut

It Supports Children with Autism

Several small clinical studies suggest camel milk can benefit children on the autism spectrum.

Why? It reduces oxidative stress, improves behavior, and supports neurological balance without triggering inflammation or allergies2. Parents have reported improvements in:

• Focus and sensory sensitivity
• Communication and mood
• Digestive comfort

It Helps Manage Blood Sugar – Naturally

Camel milk contains insulin-like proteins that survive digestion and act directly on glucose metabolism3. This makes it a potential dietary support for:

• Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• Insulin resistance
• Metabolic health

In clinical trials, camel milk consumption led to reduced insulin doses in Type 1 diabetics3.

It’s Lactose-Light and A1-Free

Many people who can’t digest cow’s milk can enjoy camel milk with ease. Why?

• It has lower lactose and a different casein profile (closer to A2-type milk)
• It lacks beta-lactoglobulin, the common allergen found in cow milk
• It’s easier on the gut, making it ideal for children, seniors, and those with sensitivities

It’s an Immunity Ally

Especially in post-pandemic times, we all need immune resilience.

Camel milk is a natural source of:

• Lactoferrin (an antiviral, antibacterial protein)
• Zinc and selenium (essential immune micronutrients)
• Lysozymes and peptides that help fight infections

Desert communities have long used it to boost strength in extreme climates—and now, so can you.

From the Desert, For the World

At Bahula, our camel milk is:

• Sourced ethically from pastoralist families
• Processed in solar-powered, net-zero dairy units
• Handled with care to retain nutrition

When you choose Bahula, you’re supporting indigenous livelihoods, ecological regeneration, and your own well-being.

Shop Camel Milk Products

References

Footnotes

1. The Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Camel Milk, 2023.
2. Camel Milk as a Potential Therapy as an Antioxidant in Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2013.
3. Camel Milk: Nutritional Composition, Therapeutic Properties, and Benefits for Human Health, 2020.
4. FAO- WHO research study
5. Other references – Camelicious