Why India Never Did Dairy the Way the West Does

A western grocery isle full of various dairy products, such as multiple variants of cheese 

Greek yogurt. Whey isolate. Cheese boards. The West made dairy a food group. India made it a garnish.

“Why India Never Did Dairy the Way the West Does

Greek yogurt. Morning Cereals. Cheese boards.
The West made dairy a food group.
India made it a garnish.

In most Western countries, dairy isn’t just a food category, it’s a lifestyle.

A full glass of milk at breakfast.
Cheese slices in every sandwich.
A dedicated section in every supermarket for yogurt, butter, milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, and now, protein shakes.

Dairy, in the West, is central. Universal. Affordable. Convenient.

India? Not so much.

Despite being the world’s largest milk producer, we’ve never treated dairy as a main course.
We put a spoon of ghee on our rice.
A bit of curd on the side of our thali.
A glass of buttermilk after a meal.
Butter for parathas, not for toast.
Milk for chai, not as a standalone drink.

We use dairy as an accent, not a centrepiece.

Why the difference?

It’s partly culture.
Partly infrastructure.
Partly biology.

1. Dairy was never cheap in India

For most Indian households, dairy has always been a luxury—something you use carefully.

Milk was measured.
Ghee was stored like treasure.
Paneer was for special occasions.
Even today, many families buy a litre of milk and stretch it through tea, curd, kheer, and a splash in the curry.

This scarcity bred a culture of moderation. Dairy wasn’t wasted. It wasn’t over-consumed. It wasn’t central. It was precious.

2. We’re crop-first, not cow-first

India has always been an agriculture-heavy economy — but not in the way the West is.
Our focus has been on growing crops: rice, wheat, pulses, millets.
The Green Revolution was all about increasing grain yield.
Government subsidies and infrastructure investments overwhelmingly supported crop cultivation - irrigation, seeds, storage, fertilization, pricing.

The dairy sector, while massive in scale, hasn’t seen the same structured push.
Cold chains are lacking.
Refrigeration is expensive.
Value-added dairy products (like cheese, cream, yogurt, etc.) haven’t been scaled the way they have in Europe or America.
In short: we produce milk, but we don’t do much with it.

3. Lactose intolerance is real in India

About 60–65% of Indians have some level of lactose intolerance.
That’s not anecdotal, it’s biology.

Our bodies produce less lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose (milk sugar), especially as we age.
The West has a higher prevalence of lactase persistence meaning their bodies continue to produce lactase well into adulthood.
This genetic trait allows them to consume large amounts of dairy without discomfort.

Indians? We’re more likely to feel bloated, gassy, or ill after a tall glass of milk or cheese-heavy meals.

Which is probably why traditional Indian food used dairy mindfully, not because we knew the word “lactose,” because we understood what felt good.

In Indian households, dairy was always paired with intent.

• Curd to cool the stomach after a spicy meal.
  

• Buttermilk to aid digestion.
  

• Ghee to oil up our food.
  

Ayurveda never recommended dairy for protein or calcium alone. It was about function, season, and body type.

We never turned dairy into a one-size-fits-all solution. It was always contextual.

So what changed?

Urbanisation. Globalisation. Packaged food.
And the idea that nutrition has to look Western to be valid.

But we’re still a country where many can’t digest too much milk.
Where refrigeration isn’t universal.
Where ghee is made at home and curd is cultured overnight.

And maybe, that’s okay.

The bottom line?

India doesn’t treat dairy the way the West does, not because we’re behind, but because we’re different.
Different habits. Different biology. Different relationship with food.

We don’t eat dairy to fill up.
We eat it to balance out.

And in that balance, there’s wisdom”.