In the American dairy industry, cows are queen. But in many countries around the world and some dairy farms here, sheep are the stars.
The unique composition of sheep’s milk makes it well suited for cheese. It contains roughly twice the fat and protein of cow’s milk and goat’s milk. As with all things, more fat means more richness and greater potential for flavor. As a result, sheep’s-milk cheese tends to be full-flavored with grassy sweetness and nuttiness.
Why Aren’t More Sheep’s-Milk Cheeses Made in America?
While dairy-farm cows produce milk year-round, sheep are typically milked for about six months a year, starting in late winter when the lambs are born. In addition, “the genetics available for dairy sheep in the U.S. is very limited compared to Europe,” says Dean Sommer of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Dairy Research. “Our dairy sheep don’t produce as much milk per animal here.”
Things are changing, thanks to experts such as Mariana Marques de Almeida, an animal scientist and cheese specialist. After several decades
