How now, proud cow? But sheep and goats can take a bow as well.
A report released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) says that Israeli cows are the Number One milk producers in the world. This is good news in a country where children are considered precious and the holiday of Shavuot presents a centerpiece opportunity for dairy products to reign supreme.
Dairy products feature prominently on the menu on the festival of Shavuot (Festival of Weeks), the holiday which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the bringing of the first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem.
There are several reasons why Jews traditionally eat dairy products on this holiday. The word halav, in Hebrew, equals the number 40, the number of days the Jews wandered in the desert before arriving at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.
Another reason has to do with the laws of shechita, kosher slaughtering of meat. The Jews had not yet received the information on how to carry out kosher slaughter prior to receiving the Torah, and so ate dairy products on the eve of the momentous event.
All of which means that a great deal of white will be gracing the tables of Israel this week as we celebrate this joyous – and delicious – holiday.
According to the CBS report, last year Israeli dairies produced some 1,221 million liters of the white liquid for public consumption, providing 185 liters per person per year.
Cow’s milk comprised the bulk of production, at 94% of the total volume. Sheep produced 3.6%, with goat’s milk at the lowest percentage of volume, 2.3%.
Israeli honey also continues to flow in our Land, with an output of some 3,200 tons of the velvety liquid gold last year. Israelis consumed approximately half a kilo – a little over one pound – of honey per person over the year.
Israel gets 10,000 liters a year out of the average cow. Dutch cows, it turns out, are the second largest producers of milk at 8,193 liters, surpassing even cows in the United States, which came in a close third at 8,162. The most recent figures for worldwide milk production are from the year 2003, showing an average of 6,455 liters for cows in the European Union.
Very little has changed in a few thousand years, other than the packaging.
A report released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) says that Israeli cows are the Number One milk producers in the world. This is good news in a country where children are considered precious and the holiday of Shavuot presents a centerpiece opportunity for dairy products to reign supreme.
Dairy products feature prominently on the menu on the festival of Shavuot (Festival of Weeks), the holiday which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the bringing of the first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem.
There are several reasons why Jews traditionally eat dairy products on this holiday. The word halav, in Hebrew, equals the number 40, the number of days the Jews wandered in the desert before arriving at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.
Another reason has to do with the laws of shechita, kosher slaughtering of meat. The Jews had not yet received the information on how to carry out kosher slaughter prior to receiving the Torah, and so ate dairy products on the eve of the momentous event.
All of which means that a great deal of white will be gracing the tables of Israel this week as we celebrate this joyous – and delicious – holiday.
According to the CBS report, last year Israeli dairies produced some 1,221 million liters of the white liquid for public consumption, providing 185 liters per person per year.
Cow’s milk comprised the bulk of production, at 94% of the total volume. Sheep produced 3.6%, with goat’s milk at the lowest percentage of volume, 2.3%.
Israeli honey also continues to flow in our Land, with an output of some 3,200 tons of the velvety liquid gold last year. Israelis consumed approximately half a kilo – a little over one pound – of honey per person over the year.
Israel gets 10,000 liters a year out of the average cow. Dutch cows, it turns out, are the second largest producers of milk at 8,193 liters, surpassing even cows in the United States, which came in a close third at 8,162. The most recent figures for worldwide milk production are from the year 2003, showing an average of 6,455 liters for cows in the European Union.
Very little has changed in a few thousand years, other than the packaging.