June 30, 2026 • 45 mins
When did humans develop a taste for other animals’ milk, and how did dairy go from being a public health threat to a daily cereal topping? Why are some people lactose intolerant, while others chug milkshakes without a care in the world? Is A2 milk really better for you? And who’s behind those iconic milk ads? Grab a glass, because Will and Mango are serving up the answers—plus a sneak preview of the plant milks of the future.
Check out Sarah Wassberg Johnson's website, The Food Historian, and read her essay "Ice Cream and Hospital Ships"
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Speaker 1 (00:14):
You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope
and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Guess what, mango?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
What's that?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well? All right? Did you know that cows may have
inspired people to make pottery? That's my question of the day.
Did you know cows may have inspired people to make pottery?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
You know, I can kind of see it right, Like
you see a happy cow grazing in a field, and
it's just such a beautiful sight that you have to
grab some clay and capture that moment.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I mean, maybe, but that's actually not what I'm talking
about here. So for years there was this open question
about when people in the Middle East and southeastern Europe
began making dari a regular part of their diets, because
it wasn't always a regular part of their diets. And
cows were domestic cad for meat in these regions, and
this goes as far back as eight thousand bcees so
(01:04):
for very very very long time. But raising cattle for
meat isn't an efficient use of resources, Like it requires
a ton of feed, a ton of water, and then
you wind up with exactly one cow's worth of food,
whereas a dairy cow produces food on an ongoing basis,
but no one knew when that shift happened in this
part of the world. So in two thousand and eight,
(01:25):
this British researcher named Richard Evershed decided to get to
the bottom of the great milk timeline question, and he
did this by examining samples of pottery shards. Evershed's background
is in chemistry, and specifically in archaeological chemistry, so in
other words, studying the molecular structure of organic compounds found
in ancient materials, so things like pottery. That's exactly right.
(01:48):
And pottery is ideal for this because it's porous, so
if you put liquid in a pottery jug, some of
those molecules get absorbed. They can be preserved for millennia. Really,
so Evershd in his colleague used a technique called compound
specific isotope ratio mass spectrometry. I know, that's sort of
a thing you've been really interested in over the years,
(02:09):
And they did this to test their pottery collection, and
what they discovered was a breakthrough. Even the oldest pottery
dating to seven thousand BCE contained molecules of milk fat,
meaning not only were people in the Middle East and
Southeast Europe raising cows for dairy. Back then, they stored
it in dedicated containers. So this is the earliest known
(02:30):
date for milk consumption in that region. And it actually
gets even better. So in an interview with Analytical Chemistry
Magazine and other of your favorites, Evershed pointed out something else.
This raises the question of what came first, the milk
or the milk jugs.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
I feel like that's always the case with these breakthroughs,
right like you solve one mystery and then it just
opens up a whole new mystery.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It totally does. That's kind of the excitement of it.
But I promise today's episode has plenty of answers about
America's long running love for milk, from a rising link
to prohibition to those got Milk ads from the nineteen
nineties to the crazy plant milks we may be drinking
in the future. So let's dive in. Hey, their podcast
(03:29):
listener is welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson,
and as always I'm here with my good friend Mangesha
Ticketter and over there in the booth wearing a milk
mustache and a milk goo tea I have to be honest,
I don't think that scene of milko tea is one
of the lesser known forms of facial topiary. But it's
actually pretty thick over there and impressive. That's our Palin producer,
(03:50):
Dylan Fagan.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
I know exactly one person who can pull off a
milk goo tea, and that is Dylan.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Totally. Dylan looks great. Actually, I'm jealous.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So while we were recentishing this episode, we asked listeners
about their milk drinking habits, and one thing we wondered was,
in this world of milk alternatives, is anyone still drinking
regular old cow milk? And the answer is yes. We
heard from a few people who said they drank milk
as kids and kept up the habit into adulthood. One
listener named Simon wrote in to say he drinks at
(04:21):
least two tall glasses of milk every single day. But
then there are folks like Nicholas, who said he was
forced to drink milk as a kid, even though he
hated it. He actually got in trouble at school for
not drinking that box of milk at lunch. So now
he's an adult and it's only oat milk or nothing
for him.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Wow, Actually this makes me curious. Mego, what do your
milk habits look like these days? Like you put it
in your coffee? Or do you put it in your coffee? No,
I drink my coffee black. I like cheese and yogurt.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
And I'm still a sucker for putting cow milk in
my cereal, which I don't need often, but I do love.
I think that's the one place I still sort of
rely on milk. How about you?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I did know that about you, about being a massive
cereal fan, So you don't eat cereal as much as
used to, I'm guessing no. Yeah, it's still good stuff
every once in a while, good bowl of lucky charms.
But yeah, you know me how I tend to get
obsessive over specific foods or drinks and then I can't
get enough of them, and then sometimes I end up
getting sick of those things. And that's what happened to
(05:25):
me with milk. There was a point where I was
probably drinking two three glasses a night back in my twenties,
like I just and it wasn't for any reason. Like
you hear about these you know, these guys that are
trying to like bulk up in the gym and all
that stuff, and you know, that's not a thing that
I've ever done. But for whatever reason, I was just
like loving milk, and then one day I just decided
I was tired of it. And so I almost never
(05:47):
drink milk like you every once in a while in
a bowl of cereal. But that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
And what about coffee? Do you ever? Do you even
drink coffee?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
No, I'm not a coffee drinker. I don't know what's
wrong with me, because I know, I mean nowadays, especially
when they're like, yeah, that's kind of good for you.
So I don't know, maybe one day.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So all this taker coffee actually reminds me of this
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Speaker 2 (06:10):
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Speaker 1 (06:12):
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Speaker 2 (06:20):
I mean that's an expensive trip just to get some
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(06:44):
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Speaker 2 (07:03):
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Speaker 2 (07:18):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
So back to the episode, Milk and dairy is a
huge part of American food culture. But before we get
into why that is, we have to find out how
cow's milk got here in the first place. And that
means going back to fourteen ninety three Christopher Columbus's second
voyage across the Atlantic. This time he actually had cows
on board his ship. Now cows were first domesticated about
(07:41):
ten thousand years ago in Europe and the Indian subcontinent.
But for the indigenous people of the America's Columbus's cows
weren't just a novelty. They actually had devastating implications. So
I read this fascinating paper called Cattle Capital and Colonization
by the anthropologist Rosa Fiesk, and she explains that introducing
cows to the Americas turned out to be a very
(08:04):
effective method of colonial control. The cows proliferated quickly after
Columbus brought them to Hispaniola, and they began grazing their
way through native forests and cropland. And in addition to
transforming the landscape, all that new pasture enabled the spread
of European plants and grasses the settlers had accidentally carried
in with them.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Those cows were just running loose, like wreaking havoc on
everything or what.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, a lot of them were. The Spanish did manage
to keep tabs on some of the herds, and they
became this valuable commodity that helped finance things like sugar plantations.
But after just a few decades there were wild cattle
roaming throughout the Caribbean, then later in South central and
North America. In some places, indigenous settlements that got wiped
out by Europeans were overrun by cows. In other places,
(08:48):
the Spanish built sprawling cattle ranches, and this helped them
secure control of the land and the people who'd lived
on it before.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So, in other words, cows were a particularly deadly invasive
species at that point.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Exactly, and even more cows were brought over to the
American colonies in the sixteen hundreds. And these different waves
of imported cattle are why we ended up with so
many different breeds here in the US. But to bring
it back to milk, you know how these days we
distinguished between dairy cows and beef cows. That distinction didn't
come about until the eighteen hundreds. Basically, people realized that
(09:21):
certain breeds are better milk producers than others, so they
began breeding selectively for that trait. Today, some of the
best known American dairy breeds are Jersey, Holstein, Brown, Swiss,
and Guernsey, and all those names reflect their European roots.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
And of course Europeans brought their culinary taste to the
New World as well as their cows. So dairy became
part of the American diet because it was a big
part of English diets. But one thing that was different
here was the average person's ability to produce dairy. See
back in England, land ownership was limited and very hierarchical.
So in America there was more space. European settlers had
(09:56):
room to raise their own livestock. And if you think
about the first thirteen colonies, especially New England, they're these
harsh climates that really aren't conducive to large scale agriculture,
but you can grow hay and there's plenty of water.
So dairy cattle thrived in the United States. Early days,
people kept cows on family farms, and eventually commercial dairy
operations began. But in the eighteen hundreds, milk developed a
(10:19):
massive pr problem. This had to do with urbanization, so
as people moved out of rural areas and into cities,
the distance between dairy farms and the market for milk increased.
Railroad lines did help somewhat, but to shorten that distance
even further, people began opening dairies right in the middle
of major cities, which in nineteenth century America were not
(10:40):
super clean or sanitary places. So I spoke to food
historian Sarah Wassburg Johnson, who explained that these urban dairies
produced a ghastly product known as swill milk. Does that
sound appetizing?
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Swell milk is a term that is applied in the
mid nineteenth century, particularly in the post of war era,
to urban dairies that are fed spent grains from breweries.
There were some sensationalized, probably fairly true depictions and Harper's
Weekly of these kind of rough looking dairy maids. Right,
(11:17):
So there are men who are you know, drunk or
unclean whatever, and they're hauling a sick cow up in
a hoist in order to milk her because she can't
stand on her own. They're housing cows and barns and
urban areas. These cows don't see the sunlight, they're not
being fed grass, and you get the rise of bovine tuberculosis,
(11:38):
which is transmissible to humans.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
You know, when you said swill milk, I was prepared
for it to be bad. But that is horrifying, it
really is.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
And actually it gets worse because Sarah told me that
in the late eighteen hundreds, a lot of people, including kids,
died from drinking swell milk, but unsanitary production and TV
war the only problems with commercial dairies, especially in cities.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
The other thing that's happening is that the milk is
being not only is it kind of unhealthy to begin with,
it's being adulterated. They're putting bluing in the milk to
make it look more white, or they're mixing in plaster
paris to make it look thicker. Right, because of course,
we have no food regulations, no government regulations on food
in this time period.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Outrage over this deadly milk inspired consumers, specifically women, to
speak up and demand change. And as it happened, there
was another social movement at the time that decided to
join the crusade against this swill milk.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
The temperance movement gets involved, right, because they're fed spent
grain from brewers. These cows are drunk. They're saying, you know,
like whether or not that's actually true, that's it's an
evil from the production and consumption of alcohol, is that
you're having this tainted milk that is killing children. And
the swill milk controversy of the mid nineteen century is
(13:00):
really the start of the political movement to regulate food
in the United States.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
This movement eventually led to the creation of the FDA,
but individual towns and cities also took steps to protect
people from bad milk. In eighteen ninety six, New York
made a rule requiring a permit from the Board of
Health in order to sell milk in the city. A
few years later, they also started sending health inspectors to
upstate farms that supply the city with milk, on the
(13:29):
grounds that New York City health rules applied if the
product was being sold within the city limits, and in
nineteen oh nine, Chicago became the first US city to
enforce pasturization laws. Speaking of pastorization, Sarah told me that
some people were skeptical at first, they thought it was
another trick to cover obtained milk, but it caught on
as folks realized this was an easy way to save lives.
(13:52):
So to put that in perspective, In nineteen oh two,
only five percent of New York City's milk supply was pasteurized.
By nineteen fourteen, it was eighty eight percent, and ten
years later pretty much one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
That is incredible, And you know, I was looking at
some old newspaper ads and articles from the nineteen twenties
while we were working on this episode, and I was
kind of struck by how often the word milk was
preceded by the word wholesome. That's kind of the image
of milk in the US after the early twentieth century.
That's this pure, healthy thing. And it occurs to me
(14:27):
that if the swill milk situation had been allowed to continue,
we'd probably have a very different perspective on dairy totally.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
But you know, Sarah pointed out that it wasn't just
the physical health implications of milk that people cared about.
There was a moral concern that's directly linked to the
rise of prohibition.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
So to fountains and ice cream parlors were like safe,
wholesome places for young people to go rather than saloons.
So milkshakes and fountain drinks and ice cream sundays were
considered wholesome and moral as opposed to saloon culture, which
was considered dirty and immoral. That's one of the big
(15:06):
ripple effects that the temperance movement has on American life.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
And after we take a quick commercial break, I'll tell
you how this unique combination of milk and temperance affected
the United States military. Weird connection here, but it's super interesting.
Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Welcome back to part time genius. Okay, Well, I had
no idea that America's milk obsession had a connection to
the temperance movement. But what did all of this have
to do with the US military?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
All right? So Sarah wrote this fascinating article about this
on her website and we'll link to it in the
show notes here. But basically, the US Navy had a
tradition of giving sailors rum rations. That practice ended in
nineteen fourteen, when the push for temperance made the Navy
go dry, and around the same time, they began supplying
ships with massive quantities of ice cream.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I love this image, just this idea of these like tough,
hard nosed sailors swapping their grog for hot farge sundays. Amazing.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, I mean, I would think about joining the Navy
if that was like a common thing now. But and
that is pretty much what happened. And my favorite detail
about this is when two new hospital ships were commissioned
in nineteen seventeen, they were equipped with something called mechanical cows.
So these were machines that blended butter, skim, milk, powder,
and water together to make this fresh milk on demand.
(16:40):
So on like a regular cow, a mechanical cow could
crank out fifteen gallons of milk in just forty five minutes.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Please tell me that these are designed to look like
actual cows.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Sadly they were not. They were boring metal bats with tubes,
so not even the excitement of feeling like you were
getting a hang with some cows. But they were used
for several decades, especially on warships and other long haul
ships when it was difficult to keep liquid milk fresh.
I found this nineteen forty three news report that described
the system as quote across between a washing machine, a
(17:12):
malted milk mixer, and a cream separator, and I can
only really picture one of those things. But the point
is the mechanical cows didn't have black and white patches,
which is a real missed opportunity if you ask me
totally anyway, Sarah explained that another reason the Navy was
so determined to make sure that sailors had plenty of
milk had to do with the dawn of nutrition research
(17:32):
in the early part of the twentieth century.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
The nutritional conventional wisdom of the time is you needed proteins, fats,
and carbohydrates because those were the main food components that
had been isolated that weren't necessary for human life.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
We didn't know about minerals, we didn't know about vitamins.
So really, these are our three main components protein, fat,
and carbohydrates, and those are all naturally present in milk.
It's one of the few foods understood at the time
to have all of those components naturally occurring.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Plus it's morally correct and upstanding, unlike something like rom and.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
That's exactly right. And add these things together, and like
you said, it's an easy leap to seeing milk as
the perfect, wholesome, good for you kind of food.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Well, I hate to ran on a parade of mechanical cows,
but there is one big problem with that idea, and
that is the fact that millions of people, the majority
of the world, actually cannot digest cow's milk. So are
you up for some quick milk signs? Will?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I thought you'd never ask?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Good. So, some people have an allergy to dairy. That's
an immune system reaction to milk proteins, so you might
experience rashes and hives, or worst case scenario, breathing difficulty
that signals anaphylaxis. If you have an allergic reaction milk,
the only thing to do is to avoid it completely. Now,
lactose intolerance is different. For one thing, it is not
(18:53):
life threatening, even if it feels brutal in the moment.
Lactose is a sugar found in many mammals milk cows,
but also lemurs, zebras, and humans. And since lactose occurs
naturally in human milk, babies are born with the ability
to produce lactase, which is the enzyme needed to break
down and digest lactose. The issue is a lot of
people's bodies stop making lactase as they get older. It
(19:16):
makes sense from a biological standpoint, right, like you're not
nursing anymore, you don't need the lactase. Other animals lose
their lactase as they age, too, But what makes humans
unusual is that, unlike other animals, we continue drinking milk
as adults. We just switch from our mother's milk to
cow's milk.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Now, a quick question on this before you continue. You
said lactose is found in many mammals milk, but you
didn't say all, so I'm curious. Does that mean some
animals produce naturally lactose free milk And if that's the case,
could there be a market for that?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
So the answer is yes, bears, whales, and seals all
produce milk that is virtually lactose free. But to answer
your second question, it's no because these animals milk is
way higher and fat than human haste buds would like.
So bare milk is about twenty to twenty five percent
fat compared that to whole cow's milk, which is only
(20:07):
about three point five percent fat. Also, milking bears is
not something anyone wants to do on a regular basis,
so that makes it a little harder to distribute it.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
I know I was just picturing that as you as
you said that, But at the same time, I know
there's a coffee shop in LA that would totally serve
barre milk lattes if it could anyway. But back to
lactose intolerance, what I don't understand is why there are
people who do tolerate lactose. Right, like you said, other
animals lose their lactase production ability as they get older.
(20:37):
It's the default programming for mammal So what makes some
humans have lactose tolerance?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah, the scientific term is lactase persistence, and it's a
fairly recent mutation in human DNA. It's only about five
thousand years old. Earlier, I mentioned that people began domesticating
cows about ten thousand years ago, and that means that
for the first several thousand years of human cow in,
anyone who drank milk had some sort of stomach upset.
(21:04):
The thing is, humans like milk, so we just kept
drinking it, and eventually a subset of people developed mutations
in a tiny region of DNA that controls the gene
and regulates the lactase production. This enabled their bodies to
keep pumping out lactase into adulthood, and with that we
were forever divided into two groups, those who can eat
ice cream without fear and those who can't.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Now, from what I understand though, DNA mutations persist because
there's an evolutionary advantage involved. And these days it's nice
if you can enjoy a milkshake, But back then, where
there actually benefits to being able to digest milk.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Maybe, I mean. One hypothesis is that for people who
lived around cows, drinking milk may have conferred antibodies against
infectious diseases carried by livestock. And other theory is that
there may have been communities in which fresh milk was
a cleaner source of hydration than the local waterways. But
maybe it was just the luck of the draw. It's
(21:58):
really hard to say why these things happen. Sometimes, like
in my own family, I can actually digest milk fine,
but my sister is lactose intolerant, and it's not really
clear why. What we do know is that early lactase
persistence was most common among pastoralists, that is, people who
survived by domesticating animals. The mutation didn't arise among hunter
gatherers or people who primarily grew crops. So today about
(22:21):
thirty percent of the world's population is lactase persistent, and
it's mostly people of Western and Northern European descent. Worldwide,
about eighty percent of African and Native American descent have
some degree of lactose intolerance, as well as ninety percent
of people of Asian descent and seventy percent of Jewish people. Now,
these statistics don't tell the whole story. Are rates of
(22:43):
lactose intolerance very across continents. They reflect ancient differences in genetics,
and if you think about it, like in India, studies
have found lactose intolerance rates as low as twenty seven
percent in some northern parts of the country, but in
the south the majority of people are lactose intolerant and
so just as a decide. While dari is a big
part of many Indian cuisines, especially in the north, some
(23:06):
of it's been adapted to reduce the lactose content. So ghee,
like other forms of butter, almost has no lactose in
it because it's pure fat yogurt or the he is
fermented and the fermentation process breaks down a lot of
the lactose and milk. So all of that's kind of
an adjustment to help people with their dits.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
That is so interesting, you know, And with most food
intolerances it's actually the other way around, like people with
the problem are the exception to the rule. But I
didn't realize this until we were, you know, looking into
this episode that for lactose, it sounds like being able
to digest it puts you in the minority, at least
at the global level.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Right, Yeah, it's weird, right, Like looking at the milk
adds you would never suspect that. But to me, this
makes twentieth century America's love affair with milk a little
more complicated because this view that milk was morally pure
and nutritionally complete. It was depicted as essential part of
American life, both in terms of public health policy and advertising.
(24:05):
But none of this is accounted for the fact that
in a country as diverse as the US, right, there's
a significant chunk of the population that cannot digest milk.
It's estimated that over a third of Americans are lactose intolerant,
and lots of people came here from places where milk
isn't a big part of the food culture. So I
wonder how those folks reacted to things like this Bordon's
(24:25):
Milk ad from the early nineteen sixties, which shows a
youth football team rallying around glasses of milk.
Speaker 4 (24:32):
He's sending in bulldoze or bowl with just what the
team needs. Borden's Milk the all American drink. Look at
them go after it. Every glass fully is power packed
with more good things than you can throw a pass
at now.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
First of all, I cannot imagine anything worse than chugging
milk and then playing tackle football. But that is also
super interesting. The all American drink, I mean, to me,
that's obviously diet mountain dew, but I think to most
people they'd probably go with something like Coca cola. Right.
But I do see what you're saying. It's about aligning
(25:07):
milk with health and strength and I guess national identity.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, and pro milk messaging really took off in the
nineteen fifties and sixties, and that's thanks to the American
Dairy Association, which used the exploding medium of TV to
spread this message that everyone was drinking milk all the time.
Here's a clip of an American Dairy Association ad showing
two weight conscious flight attendants chatting in the back of
a planet you.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
Know, gown like us, we have to keep our weight
down and our vitality.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yep, should always drink milk. As far as I'm concerned,
nothing tastes better with food than milk, even with my
low calorie meal.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Time to get back to the refilled coffee.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Tea or vitality and in this nineteen seventies ad from
a West Coast dairy council, people got stopped on the
street and asked what goes well with milk? Spoiler alert,
Everything things go with milk hamburgers and hot dogs and
spaghetti and meatfalls.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I love spaghetti and meatfall. Well, what good things don't?
Speaker 1 (26:09):
See that's a toffy.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
What good things go with milk?
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Milk, breakfast, lunch. When good things don't.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Don't, what's left.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Through the seventies and eighties, milk marketing continued to be
omnipresent and frankly really clever. Like I found a nineteen
seventy three print ad featuring Michael Landon, a huge TV
star who had just wrapped up fourteen seasons on the
hit show Bonanza. He's grinning, he's holding a glass of milk,
under the words, if you compare the cost of milk
to other foods, to me, it's an incredible bargain.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
I mean, it's so relatable, Like you got a mega
celebrity who's watching their grocery budget, so's it's really helpful.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Completely, But the country was sliding into a recession, and
Big milk knew that an affordability message would be really effective.
Of course, we can't talk about milk marketing without touching
on the campaign that you and I grew up with.
Some of the most memorable ads I think I've ever seen,
got Milk.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
And probably the most spoofed phrase of all time. It
seemed like for so long people would have some version
of this. But I've actually really been looking forward to
this because I definitely remember the got Milk ads vividly.
They did them with the Simpsons and Kermit, even Billy
Ray Cyrus. But I'm really curious. I don't actually know
that I know the origin of this campaign. Tell us
about it.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
In nineteen ninety three, the California Milk Processor Board, the
marketing arm of the California dairy industry, hired an agency
called Goodbe Silverstein and Partners to make some new ads,
and the board's previous campaign was called Milk Does a
Body Good, which you know you might remember that one
as well. The idea was milk needed ads that weren't
about nutrition. After all, it was competing with drinks like
(27:45):
Gatorade and Snapple and things that were fun and trendy
and not particularly healthy. The Goodbe Silverstein team did some
consumer research and they discovered that, despite milk's healthful image,
many people associated with eating cookies and cake and apparently
several people mentioned feeling upset if they were eating, say,
sticky brownie and didn't have some milk to wash it down.
(28:07):
And this was actually the light bulb moment for Got Milk.
In nineteen ninety three, director Michael Bay was hired to
create the first ever Got Milk TV at. It's the
actor Sean Whalen as a history buff who makes a
mistake of eating a peanut butter sandwich seconds before he
gets a caller from a local radio stations trivia contest,
and the question they're asking is easy, who shot Alexander Hamilton?
(28:30):
But alas, when he grabs his milk carton, he discovers
it's empty. Hello for ten dollars.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Whoo whoo, excuse me, will I'm a grade?
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Your time is almost note. Oh, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Maybe next time Got Milk. I actually remember this one,
And don't you just hate it when that happened?
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It is the worst, You know. I have lost so
many trivia games because my mouth was full of peanut
butter and I didn't have.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Any milock yep, all right, Well as fun as those
ads were, like you were saying, a lot of people
don't got milk, they got lactose intolerance. As we were
saying before, that's my new catchphrase. And after we take
one last break, I'll explain how a New Jersey dairy
man invented a product that made life a little more
digestible for millions of lactose intolerant people. Stay tuned, Welcome
(29:51):
back to part time genius. Okay, Mago. I was surprised
to discover this, but it turns out commercial lactase supplements
weren't available until the nineteen seventies. The first such product
was developed by Alan Kligerman, a third generation dairyman who
worked for his family's dairy business in Atlantic City. Now.
Alan went on to study dairy science at Cornell and
came up with the idea of creating a lactase additive
(30:14):
that could be added to milk before drinking it. In
nineteen seventy four, he launched lactate packets of powdered lactase
designed to be added to milk cartons. You mix it in,
let it sit so the lactase could break down the
lactose and then it was safe to drink. Eventually, lactate
developed tablets that people can take whenever they eat dairy.
Commercial daiies also began adding lactase to milk before processing,
(30:37):
which is why you can find lactose free milk and
ice cream in any grocery store. And if Alan Kligerman
hadn't done enough for the world's digestive problems, in nineteen
ninety he developed Bino, an enzyme supplement that makes beans
and cruciferous vegetables easier to stomachs. The same guy that
invented lactate invented bino.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Which would make him a hero if our friend John
Cascarano would actually have taken the beano. Yes, yes, yeah,
but instead you just ate loss of vegetables. I made
our room hard.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
It's I don't even want to think about it, but
it really is wild. And of course these days there
are even more options for lactose intolerant people who find
themselves at a pizzeria or an ice cream stand. Some
studies have found that certain strains of probotics may help
stimulate lactase production in the gut. A startup called milk
Tab makes a lactase supplement that contains enzymes to break
(31:31):
down the fat and protein in milk as well as
the lactose, so it's easier to digest that several different levels.
And this brings me to a bombshell. I waited until
this late in the episode, Mango, but I have a
bombshell question for you. What if lactose intolerant people aren't
actually lactose intolerant.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Do you mean like they're faking it or it's a
reverse placebo effect. I'm not sure I understand, but I'm
curious for your mindset.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
So here, what's going on. Let's set the lactose aside
for a moment and talk about casin, which is the
main protein in milk. Specifically, milk has a type of
casin called beta casin, which is further subdivided into over
a dozen variants. The primary variants in cow's milk are
A one and A two, which have slightly different amino
acid structures. What's interesting, though, is early cows produced milk
(32:23):
with A two beta casin, but somewhere along the way,
some breeds developed a mutation that caused them to produce
milk with both A two and A one beta casin.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Wait so A two came before a one.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Yeah, the names have to do with the genes that
encode the proteins. It's not really about which one came first.
So science beats math in this situation. Anyway. In the
nineteen nineties, a New Zealand researcher named RB Elliott was
trying to figure out why kids in Samoa had lower
rates of diabetes than kids in Auckland. One difference in
their diets he realized was that Kiwi children were wean
(32:58):
faster and switched to cow's milk. So he began digging
into the composition of milk and he discovered that among
mice who were fed large quantities of A one beta casin,
half became diabetic. Mice fed a two beta casin didn't.
So this flurry of studies ensued led by researchers in
New Zealand and Australia, and some of their observations suggested
(33:20):
possible links between A one beta casin and inflammation as
well as cardiovascular disease. Now, I do want to emphasize
here that none of this is conclusive, and most of
this research was done with animals, not humans. Now, obviously
people aren't mice so no one's saying if you consume
a one beta casin, you're definitely going to get diabetes
(33:40):
and heart disease, but it could be something that warrants
further study. And in doing this, another threat emerged, suggesting that,
regardless of other health issues, a two beta casin might
be more digestible than a one or to put it
another way, a one beta casin might cause digestive problems
in some people.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So you're saying people who thought they were lactose intolerant
might just be reacting to this one form of casin,
which I guess would be huge, especially if there's a
way to figure out which milk has which beta casin
in it.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
And luckily there is a way to do this. As
this milk protein research was blowing up, some entrepreneurs in
New Zealand developed a genetic test for cows and they
use that to create herds of animals who only produce
a to beta casin. Now, this paved the way for
commercial a too milk, which has made its way into
stores around the world, including here in the US. And
(34:34):
I've actually now I know what this means. Have you
seen these on store shelves? The A two milk haven't. Yeah,
I've never purchased it, but I've noticed them there. Now,
the global market for a two milk was forty two
point seven billion dollars in twenty twenty four, but that's
expected to climb to seventy three point nine billion and
twenty thirty four. That's more than the amount of advertising
(34:55):
on part time genius. Now with some of the fastest
growl yeah right now, right now, we haven't projected twenty
thirty four yet. Now, some of the fastest growth is
coming from China, where the vast majority of people there
are lactose intolerant.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Which is incredible but doesn't really work. I mean, like,
if you've been lactose intolerant your whole life, or perhaps
you thought you were, is a two milk actually safe
to drink?
Speaker 2 (35:20):
There have been some promising human studies in which a
two milk caused less upset stomachs than regular milk containing
a one and a two beta casin, So it's possible
that some folks may have a problem with a one
beta casin and not lactose. But like I said, lots
more research is needed on this, and because this is
a rare example of a time when we're in a
position to do that research ourselves. Our producer, Mary, who
(35:43):
is extremely lactose intolerant, volunteered to chug three glasses of
A two milk on an empty stomach without lactate. Pilk mego.
This is the dedication of the team that works on
part time genius.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
One of our teammates makes a goateea out of milk,
the other yeah, with themselves. Yeah, and for a grave
knight possibly. So how did this go for Mary?
Speaker 5 (36:08):
All right?
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Well, I think we should hear from Mary herself.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
Hey, guys, you know, I was excited to do some
hands on science, but.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
I regret this. About halfway through the.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
Third glass, I knew something was wrong, but I kept
going to give it a fair try. I wish I
hadn't done that. A one beta case and might be
bad for me, but I think what I've learned is
that lactose is definitely bad for me. Also, the A
two milk cost a dollar more than the soy milk.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
I usually buy.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
So yeah, this was this was terrible. I'm never doing
it again.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
Oh my god. Three glasses of milk?
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Yeah, that's because some lactose intolerant people can handle ten
or twelve grams of lactose per day, which is about
how much there is in a single glass of milk.
So to find out if the milk triggered a reaction,
she had to be sure to drink more than that.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
I am so sorry that this experiment didn't have a
better outcome. But since Mary mentioned soy milk, let us
take a moment to talk about plant milks. So US
dairy consumption has climbed pretty steadily over the years. Like
in nineteen ninety four, the year after those Got Milk
ads debuted, per capita dairy consumption was five hundred and
(37:26):
seventy nine pounds on a milk equivalent milk fat basis.
In twenty twenty four it was six hundred and fifty pounds,
which is a lot of dairy, but that reflects growth
in cheese, yogurt, and even cottage cheese consumption. Actual milk
consumption has been in steady to climb.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
Even though we have at least one listener who's drinking
two glasses a day no matter what mango.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Statistically speaking, he is an outlier. But as many people
moved away from dairy milk, there's been a huge boom
in plant milks, but all milks aren't actually a new invention.
In fact, milk dates back to the first century CE.
It was invented in China and it became popular because
people thought it was easier to digest than.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Cowsmo well, and since lactose intolerance is so prevalent in
that part of the world, they were totally right about this.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Yeah, and almond milk is pretty old as well. There
are references to it in ancient medical texts, and it
probably originated in the Middle East or somewhere around the Mediterranean.
But it really took off as a pantry staple in
Europe in the thirteenth century because during the Christian season
of Lent, which leads up to Easter, people were forbidden
from consuming dairy as well as meat and eggs. So
(38:35):
not only did they make almond milk, they turned that
milk into eggs and cheese.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
And I also just.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
Kind of love that medieval Europe has this in common.
With a vegan cafe in twenty twenty six, you can
get your meal with the side of almond cheese, which
is what they did. Of course, now we have way
more options than plain old soy and almond milk. Oat
milk has become a go to for a lot of people.
It was invented in the nineteen nineties by Swedish food
scientists named Ricard osta. Osta knew that the majority of
(39:03):
the world's population was lactose intolerant, and he knew that
Sweden produces a ton of oats, so in nineteen ninety
four he and his brother Bjorn launched a company they
called Oatly. Ricard has said that at first when they
pitched investors, they got left out of the room, like,
how many people are actually going to drink milk made
from oats? And for a while the answer was not many.
But in twenty sixteen Oatly landed in the US, where
(39:25):
it was positioned perfectly as this choice for discerning coffee
drinkers who wanted a neutral tasting plant milk that wouldn't separate.
The tactic actually worked, Sales swored, and today the global
oat milk market is worth three point six billion dollars.
In recent years, the plant milk floodgates have really opened
up as well. You can get high end nut milks
(39:45):
like macadamia and pistachio if you're willing to pay for them.
They are also granola vibe looks like flax, pea and hemp.
But I want to close out today's episode by telling
you what the future of milk might taste like, which
is potatoes and melon seeds.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
You know, my first instinct is to ask how many
people are actually going to drink milk made from potatoes
and melon seeds. That sounds so strange, but maybe people
will look back on this episode and make fun of
me for not anticipating the next multi billion dollar industry.
So with that in mind, tell me what we have
to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Well. Believe it or not, melon seed milk has a
long history in global cuisines. Among other things, people in
the Renaissance in Italy believed that milk made from melon
seeds could cure liver and kidney ailments. In Mexico, there's
a drink called melon seed horchata or melon seed agua fresca,
which involves blending cattalop seeds with a little sugar. But
(40:40):
a few years ago melon seed milk products hit the
US mainstream when Miyoko's, a company that makes vegan cheese
and butter, introduced a faux cotta cheese made with watermelon
seed milk. It was said to be the world's first
dairy free cotta cheese, and not only was it a hit,
founder Yoko Shinner went on to release a cookbook that
included several water seed based recipes. More recently, a company
(41:03):
called Milkish came out with watermelon seed milk in cartons.
And not only do watermelon seeds contain protein and minerals
like zinc and magnesium, growing watermelons requires less water than
almonds or oats.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
You know, I think you may have sold me on
melon seed milk. It doesn't sound too bad, but potato milk.
I just don't think I can do potato milk.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Well, it seems like a lot of people agree with
you for now. This is the story of Doug, which
is the defunct potato milk Doug. That's Dug, not dog Doug.
But it began in Sweden, of course. In twenty twenty one,
a company called Vege of Lund launched the world's first
commercial potato milk, which they called Doug. According to their
(41:46):
press release, potatoes are fifty six times more water efficient
than almonds and require half as much land as oats,
which makes it a truly eco friendly option. Over the
next few years, it seemed like Doug might take off.
It rolled out in Europe, China, and the company even
patented a potato based ice cream. Vege of Looms seemed
so confident in their product they actually changed their name
(42:07):
to Doug Food Tech. But at the end of twenty
twenty five, Doug declared bankruptcy, saying they had failed to
get financing to continue operating. Starting a new food business
is always a gamble, so you know, you can't say
for sure why Doug failed. But I did find some
reviews of the milk, and they were definitely mixed. A
website called The Vegan Review gave the Doug Barista line
(42:30):
high marks for creaminess and frothibility, but noted that Doug
Original had an aftertaste resembling raw flour.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
So who knows.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Yeah, I know, but you know, you think Doug may
be gone, But it is too soon to count out
potato milk entirely, especially since you know, people are thirsty
for dairy alternatives, and with rising food costs and increased
concern about climate change, the humble potato could turn out
to be the champion we all need.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
All right, Well, if I ever find myself pouring potato
milk on my cereal. I'm gonna remember this conversation.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
You know well, since you taught us about mechanical cows
and introduced us to Sarah Wassburg Johnson, who is my
new favorite food historian, I think you deserve today's trophy.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
Oh my goodness, Dylan just brought this thing and the
trophy is full of milk. Thank you guys so much.
I guess I guess I'll keep this in my fridge.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
Yeah, you can enjoy it with your cereal in the morning. Okay,
that does it for today. Special thanks to Sarah Wassburg
Johnson for speaking with us. Be sure to check out
the links to our work in the show notes. Remember
you can give us a call at three or two
four o five five nine two five. You can email
us at high Geniuses at gmail dot com, or you
can follow us on Instagram and Blue Sky. We're at
part time genius, and on any of those accounts we
(43:47):
will tell you exactly how well Mary is doing poster
milk experiment. We will be back next week with another
new episode, but in the meantime, from Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary,
and myself, thank you so much for listening. Part Time
(44:13):
Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. It is
hosted by my good pal will Pearson, who I've known
for almost three decades now. That is insane to me.
I'm the other co host, Mangeshatikular aka Mango. Our producer
is Mary Phillips Sandy. She's actually a super producer. I'm
going to fix that in post. Our writer is Gabe Lucier,
(44:35):
who I've also known for like a decade at this point,
maybe more. Dylan Fagan is in the booth. He is
always dressed up, always cheering us on, and always ready
to hit record and then mix the show after he
does a great job. I also want to shout out
the executive producers from iHeart my good pals Katrina and
Norvel and Ali Perry. We have social media support from
(44:57):
Calypso Rallis. If you like our video, that is all
Calypso's handiwork for more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. Visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Tune in wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
That's it from us here at Part Time Genius. Thank
you so much for listening,
You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope
and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Guess what, mango?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
What's that?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well? All right? Did you know that cows may have
inspired people to make pottery? That's my question of the day.
Did you know cows may have inspired people to make pottery?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
You know, I can kind of see it right, Like
you see a happy cow grazing in a field, and
it's just such a beautiful sight that you have to
grab some clay and capture that moment.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I mean, maybe, but that's actually not what I'm talking
about here. So for years there was this open question
about when people in the Middle East and southeastern Europe
began making dari a regular part of their diets, because
it wasn't always a regular part of their diets. And
cows were domestic cad for meat in these regions, and
this goes as far back as eight thousand bcees so
(01:04):
for very very very long time. But raising cattle for
meat isn't an efficient use of resources, Like it requires
a ton of feed, a ton of water, and then
you wind up with exactly one cow's worth of food,
whereas a dairy cow produces food on an ongoing basis,
but no one knew when that shift happened in this
part of the world. So in two thousand and eight,
(01:25):
this British researcher named Richard Evershed decided to get to
the bottom of the great milk timeline question, and he
did this by examining samples of pottery shards. Evershed's background
is in chemistry, and specifically in archaeological chemistry, so in
other words, studying the molecular structure of organic compounds found
in ancient materials, so things like pottery. That's exactly right.
(01:48):
And pottery is ideal for this because it's porous, so
if you put liquid in a pottery jug, some of
those molecules get absorbed. They can be preserved for millennia. Really,
so Evershd in his colleague used a technique called compound
specific isotope ratio mass spectrometry. I know, that's sort of
a thing you've been really interested in over the years,
(02:09):
And they did this to test their pottery collection, and
what they discovered was a breakthrough. Even the oldest pottery
dating to seven thousand BCE contained molecules of milk fat,
meaning not only were people in the Middle East and
Southeast Europe raising cows for dairy. Back then, they stored
it in dedicated containers. So this is the earliest known
(02:30):
date for milk consumption in that region. And it actually
gets even better. So in an interview with Analytical Chemistry
Magazine and other of your favorites, Evershed pointed out something else.
This raises the question of what came first, the milk
or the milk jugs.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
I feel like that's always the case with these breakthroughs,
right like you solve one mystery and then it just
opens up a whole new mystery.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It totally does. That's kind of the excitement of it.
But I promise today's episode has plenty of answers about
America's long running love for milk, from a rising link
to prohibition to those got Milk ads from the nineteen
nineties to the crazy plant milks we may be drinking
in the future. So let's dive in. Hey, their podcast
(03:29):
listener is welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson,
and as always I'm here with my good friend Mangesha
Ticketter and over there in the booth wearing a milk
mustache and a milk goo tea I have to be honest,
I don't think that scene of milko tea is one
of the lesser known forms of facial topiary. But it's
actually pretty thick over there and impressive. That's our Palin producer,
(03:50):
Dylan Fagan.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
I know exactly one person who can pull off a
milk goo tea, and that is Dylan.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Totally. Dylan looks great. Actually, I'm jealous.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So while we were recentishing this episode, we asked listeners
about their milk drinking habits, and one thing we wondered was,
in this world of milk alternatives, is anyone still drinking
regular old cow milk? And the answer is yes. We
heard from a few people who said they drank milk
as kids and kept up the habit into adulthood. One
listener named Simon wrote in to say he drinks at
(04:21):
least two tall glasses of milk every single day. But
then there are folks like Nicholas, who said he was
forced to drink milk as a kid, even though he
hated it. He actually got in trouble at school for
not drinking that box of milk at lunch. So now
he's an adult and it's only oat milk or nothing
for him.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Wow, Actually this makes me curious. Mego, what do your
milk habits look like these days? Like you put it
in your coffee? Or do you put it in your coffee? No,
I drink my coffee black. I like cheese and yogurt.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
And I'm still a sucker for putting cow milk in
my cereal, which I don't need often, but I do love.
I think that's the one place I still sort of
rely on milk. How about you?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I did know that about you, about being a massive
cereal fan, So you don't eat cereal as much as
used to, I'm guessing no. Yeah, it's still good stuff
every once in a while, good bowl of lucky charms.
But yeah, you know me how I tend to get
obsessive over specific foods or drinks and then I can't
get enough of them, and then sometimes I end up
getting sick of those things. And that's what happened to
(05:25):
me with milk. There was a point where I was
probably drinking two three glasses a night back in my twenties,
like I just and it wasn't for any reason. Like
you hear about these you know, these guys that are
trying to like bulk up in the gym and all
that stuff, and you know, that's not a thing that
I've ever done. But for whatever reason, I was just
like loving milk, and then one day I just decided
I was tired of it. And so I almost never
(05:47):
drink milk like you every once in a while in
a bowl of cereal. But that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
And what about coffee? Do you ever? Do you even
drink coffee?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
No, I'm not a coffee drinker. I don't know what's
wrong with me, because I know, I mean nowadays, especially
when they're like, yeah, that's kind of good for you.
So I don't know, maybe one day.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So all this taker coffee actually reminds me of this
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Speaker 2 (06:10):
I believe you, but I don't understand why.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
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Speaker 2 (06:20):
I mean that's an expensive trip just to get some
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(06:44):
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Speaker 2 (07:03):
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Speaker 1 (07:19):
So back to the episode, Milk and dairy is a
huge part of American food culture. But before we get
into why that is, we have to find out how
cow's milk got here in the first place. And that
means going back to fourteen ninety three Christopher Columbus's second
voyage across the Atlantic. This time he actually had cows
on board his ship. Now cows were first domesticated about
(07:41):
ten thousand years ago in Europe and the Indian subcontinent.
But for the indigenous people of the America's Columbus's cows
weren't just a novelty. They actually had devastating implications. So
I read this fascinating paper called Cattle Capital and Colonization
by the anthropologist Rosa Fiesk, and she explains that introducing
cows to the Americas turned out to be a very
(08:04):
effective method of colonial control. The cows proliferated quickly after
Columbus brought them to Hispaniola, and they began grazing their
way through native forests and cropland. And in addition to
transforming the landscape, all that new pasture enabled the spread
of European plants and grasses the settlers had accidentally carried
in with them.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Those cows were just running loose, like wreaking havoc on
everything or what.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, a lot of them were. The Spanish did manage
to keep tabs on some of the herds, and they
became this valuable commodity that helped finance things like sugar plantations.
But after just a few decades there were wild cattle
roaming throughout the Caribbean, then later in South central and
North America. In some places, indigenous settlements that got wiped
out by Europeans were overrun by cows. In other places,
(08:48):
the Spanish built sprawling cattle ranches, and this helped them
secure control of the land and the people who'd lived
on it before.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So, in other words, cows were a particularly deadly invasive
species at that point.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Exactly, and even more cows were brought over to the
American colonies in the sixteen hundreds. And these different waves
of imported cattle are why we ended up with so
many different breeds here in the US. But to bring
it back to milk, you know how these days we
distinguished between dairy cows and beef cows. That distinction didn't
come about until the eighteen hundreds. Basically, people realized that
(09:21):
certain breeds are better milk producers than others, so they
began breeding selectively for that trait. Today, some of the
best known American dairy breeds are Jersey, Holstein, Brown, Swiss,
and Guernsey, and all those names reflect their European roots.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
And of course Europeans brought their culinary taste to the
New World as well as their cows. So dairy became
part of the American diet because it was a big
part of English diets. But one thing that was different
here was the average person's ability to produce dairy. See
back in England, land ownership was limited and very hierarchical.
So in America there was more space. European settlers had
(09:56):
room to raise their own livestock. And if you think
about the first thirteen colonies, especially New England, they're these
harsh climates that really aren't conducive to large scale agriculture,
but you can grow hay and there's plenty of water.
So dairy cattle thrived in the United States. Early days,
people kept cows on family farms, and eventually commercial dairy
operations began. But in the eighteen hundreds, milk developed a
(10:19):
massive pr problem. This had to do with urbanization, so
as people moved out of rural areas and into cities,
the distance between dairy farms and the market for milk increased.
Railroad lines did help somewhat, but to shorten that distance
even further, people began opening dairies right in the middle
of major cities, which in nineteenth century America were not
(10:40):
super clean or sanitary places. So I spoke to food
historian Sarah Wassburg Johnson, who explained that these urban dairies
produced a ghastly product known as swill milk. Does that
sound appetizing?
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Swell milk is a term that is applied in the
mid nineteenth century, particularly in the post of war era,
to urban dairies that are fed spent grains from breweries.
There were some sensationalized, probably fairly true depictions and Harper's
Weekly of these kind of rough looking dairy maids. Right,
(11:17):
So there are men who are you know, drunk or
unclean whatever, and they're hauling a sick cow up in
a hoist in order to milk her because she can't
stand on her own. They're housing cows and barns and
urban areas. These cows don't see the sunlight, they're not
being fed grass, and you get the rise of bovine tuberculosis,
(11:38):
which is transmissible to humans.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
You know, when you said swill milk, I was prepared
for it to be bad. But that is horrifying, it
really is.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
And actually it gets worse because Sarah told me that
in the late eighteen hundreds, a lot of people, including kids,
died from drinking swell milk, but unsanitary production and TV
war the only problems with commercial dairies, especially in cities.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
The other thing that's happening is that the milk is
being not only is it kind of unhealthy to begin with,
it's being adulterated. They're putting bluing in the milk to
make it look more white, or they're mixing in plaster
paris to make it look thicker. Right, because of course,
we have no food regulations, no government regulations on food
in this time period.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Outrage over this deadly milk inspired consumers, specifically women, to
speak up and demand change. And as it happened, there
was another social movement at the time that decided to
join the crusade against this swill milk.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
The temperance movement gets involved, right, because they're fed spent
grain from brewers. These cows are drunk. They're saying, you know,
like whether or not that's actually true, that's it's an
evil from the production and consumption of alcohol, is that
you're having this tainted milk that is killing children. And
the swill milk controversy of the mid nineteen century is
(13:00):
really the start of the political movement to regulate food
in the United States.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
This movement eventually led to the creation of the FDA,
but individual towns and cities also took steps to protect
people from bad milk. In eighteen ninety six, New York
made a rule requiring a permit from the Board of
Health in order to sell milk in the city. A
few years later, they also started sending health inspectors to
upstate farms that supply the city with milk, on the
(13:29):
grounds that New York City health rules applied if the
product was being sold within the city limits, and in
nineteen oh nine, Chicago became the first US city to
enforce pasturization laws. Speaking of pastorization, Sarah told me that
some people were skeptical at first, they thought it was
another trick to cover obtained milk, but it caught on
as folks realized this was an easy way to save lives.
(13:52):
So to put that in perspective, In nineteen oh two,
only five percent of New York City's milk supply was pasteurized.
By nineteen fourteen, it was eighty eight percent, and ten
years later pretty much one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
That is incredible, And you know, I was looking at
some old newspaper ads and articles from the nineteen twenties
while we were working on this episode, and I was
kind of struck by how often the word milk was
preceded by the word wholesome. That's kind of the image
of milk in the US after the early twentieth century.
That's this pure, healthy thing. And it occurs to me
(14:27):
that if the swill milk situation had been allowed to continue,
we'd probably have a very different perspective on dairy totally.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
But you know, Sarah pointed out that it wasn't just
the physical health implications of milk that people cared about.
There was a moral concern that's directly linked to the
rise of prohibition.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
So to fountains and ice cream parlors were like safe,
wholesome places for young people to go rather than saloons.
So milkshakes and fountain drinks and ice cream sundays were
considered wholesome and moral as opposed to saloon culture, which
was considered dirty and immoral. That's one of the big
(15:06):
ripple effects that the temperance movement has on American life.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
And after we take a quick commercial break, I'll tell
you how this unique combination of milk and temperance affected
the United States military. Weird connection here, but it's super interesting.
Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Welcome back to part time genius. Okay, Well, I had
no idea that America's milk obsession had a connection to
the temperance movement. But what did all of this have
to do with the US military?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
All right? So Sarah wrote this fascinating article about this
on her website and we'll link to it in the
show notes here. But basically, the US Navy had a
tradition of giving sailors rum rations. That practice ended in
nineteen fourteen, when the push for temperance made the Navy
go dry, and around the same time, they began supplying
ships with massive quantities of ice cream.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I love this image, just this idea of these like tough,
hard nosed sailors swapping their grog for hot farge sundays. Amazing.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, I mean, I would think about joining the Navy
if that was like a common thing now. But and
that is pretty much what happened. And my favorite detail
about this is when two new hospital ships were commissioned
in nineteen seventeen, they were equipped with something called mechanical cows.
So these were machines that blended butter, skim, milk, powder,
and water together to make this fresh milk on demand.
(16:40):
So on like a regular cow, a mechanical cow could
crank out fifteen gallons of milk in just forty five minutes.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Please tell me that these are designed to look like
actual cows.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Sadly they were not. They were boring metal bats with tubes,
so not even the excitement of feeling like you were
getting a hang with some cows. But they were used
for several decades, especially on warships and other long haul
ships when it was difficult to keep liquid milk fresh.
I found this nineteen forty three news report that described
the system as quote across between a washing machine, a
(17:12):
malted milk mixer, and a cream separator, and I can
only really picture one of those things. But the point
is the mechanical cows didn't have black and white patches,
which is a real missed opportunity if you ask me
totally anyway, Sarah explained that another reason the Navy was
so determined to make sure that sailors had plenty of
milk had to do with the dawn of nutrition research
(17:32):
in the early part of the twentieth century.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
The nutritional conventional wisdom of the time is you needed proteins, fats,
and carbohydrates because those were the main food components that
had been isolated that weren't necessary for human life.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Right.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
We didn't know about minerals, we didn't know about vitamins.
So really, these are our three main components protein, fat,
and carbohydrates, and those are all naturally present in milk.
It's one of the few foods understood at the time
to have all of those components naturally occurring.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Plus it's morally correct and upstanding, unlike something like rom and.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
That's exactly right. And add these things together, and like
you said, it's an easy leap to seeing milk as
the perfect, wholesome, good for you kind of food.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Well, I hate to ran on a parade of mechanical cows,
but there is one big problem with that idea, and
that is the fact that millions of people, the majority
of the world, actually cannot digest cow's milk. So are
you up for some quick milk signs? Will?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I thought you'd never ask?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Good. So, some people have an allergy to dairy. That's
an immune system reaction to milk proteins, so you might
experience rashes and hives, or worst case scenario, breathing difficulty
that signals anaphylaxis. If you have an allergic reaction milk,
the only thing to do is to avoid it completely. Now,
lactose intolerance is different. For one thing, it is not
(18:53):
life threatening, even if it feels brutal in the moment.
Lactose is a sugar found in many mammals milk cows,
but also lemurs, zebras, and humans. And since lactose occurs
naturally in human milk, babies are born with the ability
to produce lactase, which is the enzyme needed to break
down and digest lactose. The issue is a lot of
people's bodies stop making lactase as they get older. It
(19:16):
makes sense from a biological standpoint, right, like you're not
nursing anymore, you don't need the lactase. Other animals lose
their lactase as they age, too, But what makes humans
unusual is that, unlike other animals, we continue drinking milk
as adults. We just switch from our mother's milk to
cow's milk.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Now, a quick question on this before you continue. You
said lactose is found in many mammals milk, but you
didn't say all, so I'm curious. Does that mean some
animals produce naturally lactose free milk And if that's the case,
could there be a market for that?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
So the answer is yes, bears, whales, and seals all
produce milk that is virtually lactose free. But to answer
your second question, it's no because these animals milk is
way higher and fat than human haste buds would like.
So bare milk is about twenty to twenty five percent
fat compared that to whole cow's milk, which is only
(20:07):
about three point five percent fat. Also, milking bears is
not something anyone wants to do on a regular basis,
so that makes it a little harder to distribute it.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
I know I was just picturing that as you as
you said that, But at the same time, I know
there's a coffee shop in LA that would totally serve
barre milk lattes if it could anyway. But back to
lactose intolerance, what I don't understand is why there are
people who do tolerate lactose. Right, like you said, other
animals lose their lactase production ability as they get older.
(20:37):
It's the default programming for mammal So what makes some
humans have lactose tolerance?
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah, the scientific term is lactase persistence, and it's a
fairly recent mutation in human DNA. It's only about five
thousand years old. Earlier, I mentioned that people began domesticating
cows about ten thousand years ago, and that means that
for the first several thousand years of human cow in,
anyone who drank milk had some sort of stomach upset.
(21:04):
The thing is, humans like milk, so we just kept
drinking it, and eventually a subset of people developed mutations
in a tiny region of DNA that controls the gene
and regulates the lactase production. This enabled their bodies to
keep pumping out lactase into adulthood, and with that we
were forever divided into two groups, those who can eat
ice cream without fear and those who can't.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Now, from what I understand though, DNA mutations persist because
there's an evolutionary advantage involved. And these days it's nice
if you can enjoy a milkshake, But back then, where
there actually benefits to being able to digest milk.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Maybe, I mean. One hypothesis is that for people who
lived around cows, drinking milk may have conferred antibodies against
infectious diseases carried by livestock. And other theory is that
there may have been communities in which fresh milk was
a cleaner source of hydration than the local waterways. But
maybe it was just the luck of the draw. It's
(21:58):
really hard to say why these things happen. Sometimes, like
in my own family, I can actually digest milk fine,
but my sister is lactose intolerant, and it's not really
clear why. What we do know is that early lactase
persistence was most common among pastoralists, that is, people who
survived by domesticating animals. The mutation didn't arise among hunter
gatherers or people who primarily grew crops. So today about
(22:21):
thirty percent of the world's population is lactase persistent, and
it's mostly people of Western and Northern European descent. Worldwide,
about eighty percent of African and Native American descent have
some degree of lactose intolerance, as well as ninety percent
of people of Asian descent and seventy percent of Jewish people. Now,
these statistics don't tell the whole story. Are rates of
(22:43):
lactose intolerance very across continents. They reflect ancient differences in genetics,
and if you think about it, like in India, studies
have found lactose intolerance rates as low as twenty seven
percent in some northern parts of the country, but in
the south the majority of people are lactose intolerant and
so just as a decide. While dari is a big
part of many Indian cuisines, especially in the north, some
(23:06):
of it's been adapted to reduce the lactose content. So ghee,
like other forms of butter, almost has no lactose in
it because it's pure fat yogurt or the he is
fermented and the fermentation process breaks down a lot of
the lactose and milk. So all of that's kind of
an adjustment to help people with their dits.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
That is so interesting, you know, And with most food
intolerances it's actually the other way around, like people with
the problem are the exception to the rule. But I
didn't realize this until we were, you know, looking into
this episode that for lactose, it sounds like being able
to digest it puts you in the minority, at least
at the global level.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Right, Yeah, it's weird, right, Like looking at the milk
adds you would never suspect that. But to me, this
makes twentieth century America's love affair with milk a little
more complicated because this view that milk was morally pure
and nutritionally complete. It was depicted as essential part of
American life, both in terms of public health policy and advertising.
(24:05):
But none of this is accounted for the fact that
in a country as diverse as the US, right, there's
a significant chunk of the population that cannot digest milk.
It's estimated that over a third of Americans are lactose intolerant,
and lots of people came here from places where milk
isn't a big part of the food culture. So I
wonder how those folks reacted to things like this Bordon's
(24:25):
Milk ad from the early nineteen sixties, which shows a
youth football team rallying around glasses of milk.
Speaker 4 (24:32):
He's sending in bulldoze or bowl with just what the
team needs. Borden's Milk the all American drink. Look at
them go after it. Every glass fully is power packed
with more good things than you can throw a pass
at now.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
First of all, I cannot imagine anything worse than chugging
milk and then playing tackle football. But that is also
super interesting. The all American drink, I mean, to me,
that's obviously diet mountain dew, but I think to most
people they'd probably go with something like Coca cola. Right.
But I do see what you're saying. It's about aligning
(25:07):
milk with health and strength and I guess national identity.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, and pro milk messaging really took off in the
nineteen fifties and sixties, and that's thanks to the American
Dairy Association, which used the exploding medium of TV to
spread this message that everyone was drinking milk all the time.
Here's a clip of an American Dairy Association ad showing
two weight conscious flight attendants chatting in the back of
a planet you.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
Know, gown like us, we have to keep our weight
down and our vitality.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yep, should always drink milk. As far as I'm concerned,
nothing tastes better with food than milk, even with my
low calorie meal.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Time to get back to the refilled coffee.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Tea or vitality and in this nineteen seventies ad from
a West Coast dairy council, people got stopped on the
street and asked what goes well with milk? Spoiler alert,
Everything things go with milk hamburgers and hot dogs and
spaghetti and meatfalls.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I love spaghetti and meatfall. Well, what good things don't?
Speaker 1 (26:09):
See that's a toffy.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
What good things go with milk?
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Milk, breakfast, lunch. When good things don't.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Don't, what's left.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Through the seventies and eighties, milk marketing continued to be
omnipresent and frankly really clever. Like I found a nineteen
seventy three print ad featuring Michael Landon, a huge TV
star who had just wrapped up fourteen seasons on the
hit show Bonanza. He's grinning, he's holding a glass of milk,
under the words, if you compare the cost of milk
to other foods, to me, it's an incredible bargain.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
I mean, it's so relatable, Like you got a mega
celebrity who's watching their grocery budget, so's it's really helpful.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Completely, But the country was sliding into a recession, and
Big milk knew that an affordability message would be really effective.
Of course, we can't talk about milk marketing without touching
on the campaign that you and I grew up with.
Some of the most memorable ads I think I've ever seen,
got Milk.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
And probably the most spoofed phrase of all time. It
seemed like for so long people would have some version
of this. But I've actually really been looking forward to
this because I definitely remember the got Milk ads vividly.
They did them with the Simpsons and Kermit, even Billy
Ray Cyrus. But I'm really curious. I don't actually know
that I know the origin of this campaign. Tell us
about it.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
In nineteen ninety three, the California Milk Processor Board, the
marketing arm of the California dairy industry, hired an agency
called Goodbe Silverstein and Partners to make some new ads,
and the board's previous campaign was called Milk Does a
Body Good, which you know you might remember that one
as well. The idea was milk needed ads that weren't
about nutrition. After all, it was competing with drinks like
(27:45):
Gatorade and Snapple and things that were fun and trendy
and not particularly healthy. The Goodbe Silverstein team did some
consumer research and they discovered that, despite milk's healthful image,
many people associated with eating cookies and cake and apparently
several people mentioned feeling upset if they were eating, say,
sticky brownie and didn't have some milk to wash it down.
(28:07):
And this was actually the light bulb moment for Got Milk.
In nineteen ninety three, director Michael Bay was hired to
create the first ever Got Milk TV at. It's the
actor Sean Whalen as a history buff who makes a
mistake of eating a peanut butter sandwich seconds before he
gets a caller from a local radio stations trivia contest,
and the question they're asking is easy, who shot Alexander Hamilton?
(28:30):
But alas, when he grabs his milk carton, he discovers
it's empty. Hello for ten dollars.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Whoo whoo, excuse me, will I'm a grade?
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Your time is almost note. Oh, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Maybe next time Got Milk. I actually remember this one,
And don't you just hate it when that happened?
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It is the worst, You know. I have lost so
many trivia games because my mouth was full of peanut
butter and I didn't have.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Any milock yep, all right, Well as fun as those
ads were, like you were saying, a lot of people
don't got milk, they got lactose intolerance. As we were
saying before, that's my new catchphrase. And after we take
one last break, I'll explain how a New Jersey dairy
man invented a product that made life a little more
digestible for millions of lactose intolerant people. Stay tuned, Welcome
(29:51):
back to part time genius. Okay, Mago. I was surprised
to discover this, but it turns out commercial lactase supplements
weren't available until the nineteen seventies. The first such product
was developed by Alan Kligerman, a third generation dairyman who
worked for his family's dairy business in Atlantic City. Now.
Alan went on to study dairy science at Cornell and
came up with the idea of creating a lactase additive
(30:14):
that could be added to milk before drinking it. In
nineteen seventy four, he launched lactate packets of powdered lactase
designed to be added to milk cartons. You mix it in,
let it sit so the lactase could break down the
lactose and then it was safe to drink. Eventually, lactate
developed tablets that people can take whenever they eat dairy.
Commercial daiies also began adding lactase to milk before processing,
(30:37):
which is why you can find lactose free milk and
ice cream in any grocery store. And if Alan Kligerman
hadn't done enough for the world's digestive problems, in nineteen
ninety he developed Bino, an enzyme supplement that makes beans
and cruciferous vegetables easier to stomachs. The same guy that
invented lactate invented bino.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Which would make him a hero if our friend John
Cascarano would actually have taken the beano. Yes, yes, yeah,
but instead you just ate loss of vegetables. I made
our room hard.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
It's I don't even want to think about it, but
it really is wild. And of course these days there
are even more options for lactose intolerant people who find
themselves at a pizzeria or an ice cream stand. Some
studies have found that certain strains of probotics may help
stimulate lactase production in the gut. A startup called milk
Tab makes a lactase supplement that contains enzymes to break
(31:31):
down the fat and protein in milk as well as
the lactose, so it's easier to digest that several different levels.
And this brings me to a bombshell. I waited until
this late in the episode, Mango, but I have a
bombshell question for you. What if lactose intolerant people aren't
actually lactose intolerant.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Do you mean like they're faking it or it's a
reverse placebo effect. I'm not sure I understand, but I'm
curious for your mindset.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
So here, what's going on. Let's set the lactose aside
for a moment and talk about casin, which is the
main protein in milk. Specifically, milk has a type of
casin called beta casin, which is further subdivided into over
a dozen variants. The primary variants in cow's milk are
A one and A two, which have slightly different amino
acid structures. What's interesting, though, is early cows produced milk
(32:23):
with A two beta casin, but somewhere along the way,
some breeds developed a mutation that caused them to produce
milk with both A two and A one beta casin.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Wait so A two came before a one.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Yeah, the names have to do with the genes that
encode the proteins. It's not really about which one came first.
So science beats math in this situation. Anyway. In the
nineteen nineties, a New Zealand researcher named RB Elliott was
trying to figure out why kids in Samoa had lower
rates of diabetes than kids in Auckland. One difference in
their diets he realized was that Kiwi children were wean
(32:58):
faster and switched to cow's milk. So he began digging
into the composition of milk and he discovered that among
mice who were fed large quantities of A one beta casin,
half became diabetic. Mice fed a two beta casin didn't.
So this flurry of studies ensued led by researchers in
New Zealand and Australia, and some of their observations suggested
(33:20):
possible links between A one beta casin and inflammation as
well as cardiovascular disease. Now, I do want to emphasize
here that none of this is conclusive, and most of
this research was done with animals, not humans. Now, obviously
people aren't mice so no one's saying if you consume
a one beta casin, you're definitely going to get diabetes
(33:40):
and heart disease, but it could be something that warrants
further study. And in doing this, another threat emerged, suggesting that,
regardless of other health issues, a two beta casin might
be more digestible than a one or to put it
another way, a one beta casin might cause digestive problems
in some people.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
So you're saying people who thought they were lactose intolerant
might just be reacting to this one form of casin,
which I guess would be huge, especially if there's a
way to figure out which milk has which beta casin
in it.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
And luckily there is a way to do this. As
this milk protein research was blowing up, some entrepreneurs in
New Zealand developed a genetic test for cows and they
use that to create herds of animals who only produce
a to beta casin. Now, this paved the way for
commercial a too milk, which has made its way into
stores around the world, including here in the US. And
(34:34):
I've actually now I know what this means. Have you
seen these on store shelves? The A two milk haven't. Yeah,
I've never purchased it, but I've noticed them there. Now,
the global market for a two milk was forty two
point seven billion dollars in twenty twenty four, but that's
expected to climb to seventy three point nine billion and
twenty thirty four. That's more than the amount of advertising
(34:55):
on part time genius. Now with some of the fastest
growl yeah right now, right now, we haven't projected twenty
thirty four yet. Now, some of the fastest growth is
coming from China, where the vast majority of people there
are lactose intolerant.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Which is incredible but doesn't really work. I mean, like,
if you've been lactose intolerant your whole life, or perhaps
you thought you were, is a two milk actually safe
to drink?
Speaker 2 (35:20):
There have been some promising human studies in which a
two milk caused less upset stomachs than regular milk containing
a one and a two beta casin, So it's possible
that some folks may have a problem with a one
beta casin and not lactose. But like I said, lots
more research is needed on this, and because this is
a rare example of a time when we're in a
position to do that research ourselves. Our producer, Mary, who
(35:43):
is extremely lactose intolerant, volunteered to chug three glasses of
A two milk on an empty stomach without lactate. Pilk mego.
This is the dedication of the team that works on
part time genius.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
One of our teammates makes a goateea out of milk,
the other yeah, with themselves. Yeah, and for a grave
knight possibly. So how did this go for Mary?
Speaker 5 (36:08):
All right?
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Well, I think we should hear from Mary herself.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
Hey, guys, you know, I was excited to do some
hands on science, but.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
I regret this. About halfway through the.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
Third glass, I knew something was wrong, but I kept
going to give it a fair try. I wish I
hadn't done that. A one beta case and might be
bad for me, but I think what I've learned is
that lactose is definitely bad for me. Also, the A
two milk cost a dollar more than the soy milk.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
I usually buy.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
So yeah, this was this was terrible. I'm never doing
it again.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
Oh my god. Three glasses of milk?
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Yeah, that's because some lactose intolerant people can handle ten
or twelve grams of lactose per day, which is about
how much there is in a single glass of milk.
So to find out if the milk triggered a reaction,
she had to be sure to drink more than that.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
I am so sorry that this experiment didn't have a
better outcome. But since Mary mentioned soy milk, let us
take a moment to talk about plant milks. So US
dairy consumption has climbed pretty steadily over the years. Like
in nineteen ninety four, the year after those Got Milk
ads debuted, per capita dairy consumption was five hundred and
(37:26):
seventy nine pounds on a milk equivalent milk fat basis.
In twenty twenty four it was six hundred and fifty pounds,
which is a lot of dairy, but that reflects growth
in cheese, yogurt, and even cottage cheese consumption. Actual milk
consumption has been in steady to climb.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
Even though we have at least one listener who's drinking
two glasses a day no matter what mango.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Statistically speaking, he is an outlier. But as many people
moved away from dairy milk, there's been a huge boom
in plant milks, but all milks aren't actually a new invention.
In fact, milk dates back to the first century CE.
It was invented in China and it became popular because
people thought it was easier to digest than.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Cowsmo well, and since lactose intolerance is so prevalent in
that part of the world, they were totally right about this.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Yeah, and almond milk is pretty old as well. There
are references to it in ancient medical texts, and it
probably originated in the Middle East or somewhere around the Mediterranean.
But it really took off as a pantry staple in
Europe in the thirteenth century because during the Christian season
of Lent, which leads up to Easter, people were forbidden
from consuming dairy as well as meat and eggs. So
(38:35):
not only did they make almond milk, they turned that
milk into eggs and cheese.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
And I also just.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
Kind of love that medieval Europe has this in common.
With a vegan cafe in twenty twenty six, you can
get your meal with the side of almond cheese, which
is what they did. Of course, now we have way
more options than plain old soy and almond milk. Oat
milk has become a go to for a lot of people.
It was invented in the nineteen nineties by Swedish food
scientists named Ricard osta. Osta knew that the majority of
(39:03):
the world's population was lactose intolerant, and he knew that
Sweden produces a ton of oats, so in nineteen ninety
four he and his brother Bjorn launched a company they
called Oatly. Ricard has said that at first when they
pitched investors, they got left out of the room, like,
how many people are actually going to drink milk made
from oats? And for a while the answer was not many.
But in twenty sixteen Oatly landed in the US, where
(39:25):
it was positioned perfectly as this choice for discerning coffee
drinkers who wanted a neutral tasting plant milk that wouldn't separate.
The tactic actually worked, Sales swored, and today the global
oat milk market is worth three point six billion dollars.
In recent years, the plant milk floodgates have really opened
up as well. You can get high end nut milks
(39:45):
like macadamia and pistachio if you're willing to pay for them.
They are also granola vibe looks like flax, pea and hemp.
But I want to close out today's episode by telling
you what the future of milk might taste like, which
is potatoes and melon seeds.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
You know, my first instinct is to ask how many
people are actually going to drink milk made from potatoes
and melon seeds. That sounds so strange, but maybe people
will look back on this episode and make fun of
me for not anticipating the next multi billion dollar industry.
So with that in mind, tell me what we have
to look forward to.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Well. Believe it or not, melon seed milk has a
long history in global cuisines. Among other things, people in
the Renaissance in Italy believed that milk made from melon
seeds could cure liver and kidney ailments. In Mexico, there's
a drink called melon seed horchata or melon seed agua fresca,
which involves blending cattalop seeds with a little sugar. But
(40:40):
a few years ago melon seed milk products hit the
US mainstream when Miyoko's, a company that makes vegan cheese
and butter, introduced a faux cotta cheese made with watermelon
seed milk. It was said to be the world's first
dairy free cotta cheese, and not only was it a hit,
founder Yoko Shinner went on to release a cookbook that
included several water seed based recipes. More recently, a company
(41:03):
called Milkish came out with watermelon seed milk in cartons.
And not only do watermelon seeds contain protein and minerals
like zinc and magnesium, growing watermelons requires less water than
almonds or oats.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
You know, I think you may have sold me on
melon seed milk. It doesn't sound too bad, but potato milk.
I just don't think I can do potato milk.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Well, it seems like a lot of people agree with
you for now. This is the story of Doug, which
is the defunct potato milk Doug. That's Dug, not dog Doug.
But it began in Sweden, of course. In twenty twenty one,
a company called Vege of Lund launched the world's first
commercial potato milk, which they called Doug. According to their
(41:46):
press release, potatoes are fifty six times more water efficient
than almonds and require half as much land as oats,
which makes it a truly eco friendly option. Over the
next few years, it seemed like Doug might take off.
It rolled out in Europe, China, and the company even
patented a potato based ice cream. Vege of Looms seemed
so confident in their product they actually changed their name
(42:07):
to Doug Food Tech. But at the end of twenty
twenty five, Doug declared bankruptcy, saying they had failed to
get financing to continue operating. Starting a new food business
is always a gamble, so you know, you can't say
for sure why Doug failed. But I did find some
reviews of the milk, and they were definitely mixed. A
website called The Vegan Review gave the Doug Barista line
(42:30):
high marks for creaminess and frothibility, but noted that Doug
Original had an aftertaste resembling raw flour.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
So who knows.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Yeah, I know, but you know, you think Doug may
be gone, But it is too soon to count out
potato milk entirely, especially since you know, people are thirsty
for dairy alternatives, and with rising food costs and increased
concern about climate change, the humble potato could turn out
to be the champion we all need.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
All right, Well, if I ever find myself pouring potato
milk on my cereal. I'm gonna remember this conversation.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
You know well, since you taught us about mechanical cows
and introduced us to Sarah Wassburg Johnson, who is my
new favorite food historian, I think you deserve today's trophy.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
Oh my goodness, Dylan just brought this thing and the
trophy is full of milk. Thank you guys so much.
I guess I guess I'll keep this in my fridge.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
Yeah, you can enjoy it with your cereal in the morning. Okay,
that does it for today. Special thanks to Sarah Wassburg
Johnson for speaking with us. Be sure to check out
the links to our work in the show notes. Remember
you can give us a call at three or two
four o five five nine two five. You can email
us at high Geniuses at gmail dot com, or you
can follow us on Instagram and Blue Sky. We're at
part time genius, and on any of those accounts we
(43:47):
will tell you exactly how well Mary is doing poster
milk experiment. We will be back next week with another
new episode, but in the meantime, from Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary,
and myself, thank you so much for listening. Part Time
(44:13):
Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. It is
hosted by my good pal will Pearson, who I've known
for almost three decades now. That is insane to me.
I'm the other co host, Mangeshatikular aka Mango. Our producer
is Mary Phillips Sandy. She's actually a super producer. I'm
going to fix that in post. Our writer is Gabe Lucier,
(44:35):
who I've also known for like a decade at this point,
maybe more. Dylan Fagan is in the booth. He is
always dressed up, always cheering us on, and always ready
to hit record and then mix the show after he
does a great job. I also want to shout out
the executive producers from iHeart my good pals Katrina and
Norvel and Ali Perry. We have social media support from
(44:57):
Calypso Rallis. If you like our video, that is all
Calypso's handiwork for more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. Visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Tune in wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
That's it from us here at Part Time Genius. Thank
you so much for listening,
Part-Time Genius News
Hosts And Creators
Will Pearson
Mangesh Hattikudur
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