On A Trip To Dubai – The Search For Camels Milk

I am that kind of person. The one who like to search out foods that are a little different on a vacation even if it means disrupting the flow of our relaxation. I am also the person who makes the other family members try those different things. While many on a trip to Dubai would look forward to a desert safari or the view from the top of the Burj Khalifa (the worlds tallest building), I place priority on finding camel’s milk. I have heard it is a superfood, better nutritionally than cow’s milk. I am only mildly interested in the nutrition, though (I do not believe in super foods!). I want to see what it tastes like. In a land where camels can be seen on the beach and be ridden, you would think it would be pretty available in abundance. On a trip to Dubai, a place where the camel dairy has over 3000 camels to milk, you would think every local would have their favorite go-to cafe that serves a great camel machiatto, but this is not necessarily the case. I am lucky to have a true friend in Dubai (as Ahmed says “not just a friend- a true friend!”) who is a bona fide local, but he has not even had camel’s milk.

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In the world of the internet, things are not that hard to find. But when on a trip to Dubai, why not first start by just asking around to see what reaction you can get. The first place to start is, of course, the hotel, who’s business it is to not only serve the customer, but to represent the best of the community. I asked the server at breakfast if they had camel milk. Certainly this is a question asked numerous times before. The server seemed stumped. No camel’s milk. We go to the beach at the sister hotel. There on the beach is a camel. No, there is no effort to try and milk the camel present, but I take it as a good sign that camel milk is around corner. At this hotel, the pools have a bar which you can swim right up to. I ask for camel’s milk. No luck.

On this trip to Dubai, the weather is perfect – 80 degrees. The weather is perfect in Dubai 5 months out of the year. The other seven months the temperature is hot! It can get to 120-130F. What this means is that everyone needs a cool place to go and in Dubai that means the mall. Yes, the mall! Dubai is a shopper’s paradise. The malls are big affairs and it is where the locals go. I went too, to continue my hunt. I go to the first coffee shop I see. “Do you have camel milk?” “Chammomille?” “No, Camel milk.”. Silence, some giggling. Nothing. I then go to Starbucks because, although many say a lot of not so nice things about Starbucks, they often have products that are reflective of the local cultures – green tea lattes in Asia, for example. I ask the barrista – ” Camel Machiatto please.” “Caramel Macchiatto” she replies. “No Camel”, I say. “You are not the first to ask, but we don’t have camel milk.” “Do you know a place I can get camel’s milk?” “Nope”. This is where I get concerned. I don’t want my trip to Dubai to end without getting some camel milk so I turn to the internet. BINGO – just around the corner (and a ways down, the mall is huge) at Dubai Mall there is the original camel milk cafe. YES! The excitement is building!

The Cafe Maljis is billed as The First and Finest Camel Milk Cafe and is located in the Souk section of the Dubai Mall. My wife and son are not as excited as I am. I order a cappuccino and a cup of cold camel milk. There is real anticipation as we wait. It turns out you can buy camel ice cream and chocolate, too. The drinks come. As you would expect, camel’s milk is white.

It looks like cow’s milk. I add some sugar to the cappuccino. I lift the cup to my lips. I sip it. It is, well, different. To discern what flavors are from the coffee and what flavors are from the milk, I sip the plain camel’s milk. It is, well, different. Camel’s milk has a sweet grassy flavor, maybe even a little salty. It is not bad, just different. It is good in the cappuccino. My wife and son taste both. They are not into it. Oh well, but kudos for trying! More for me! I buy a camel chocolate bar. The only flavor they have is macadamia orange. It is tasty, but still a little different. That grassy note is strong.

There was also ghee and labneh (a strained yogurt, yum), but I did not have the chance to taste those. Next time!

Camel’s milk is available at the grocery store, but I could not find any in UHT format to bring home. I guess when I have that camel milk craving, I will have to make another trip to Dubai – oh the sacrifice! If you have a chance, you should go and drink camel’s milk.

I hope you enjoy!

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Have you ever been to Dubai? Ever had camel’s milk? Let us know all about it in the comments or on Facebook.

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