Having camel milk splashed over your breakfast cereal might not sound very appealing, but for tens of millions of people across Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East the produce is known as 'liquid gold'. A saltier but far healthier alternative to cow's milk, it is used to make cheese and chocolate, or consumed in the belief that it can fight diseases such as HIV-Aids and tuberculosis. It's a key ingredient of cosmetics made in the Middle East.
Yet, despite being the lifeblood of countries where camels are the main form of livestock, camel milk is relatively unheard of elsewhere. Changing that is the mission of a trio of young filmmakers who are using Hong Kong as the production base for Respect the Camel, a documentary about these unsung ships of the desert.
Travelling through 15 countries in Africa and Asia on a shoestring budget, Alicia Sully, Sebastian Lindstrom and Philippa Young are working on a homage to the camel with a film that also provides an insight into the nomadic communities for whom camel milk is vital. Above all, it reveals how valuable a commodity it is.
'Camel milk is the new oil. That sounds like a joke, but people who know about it prize it because it's precious and hard to get. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out about it and tries to get a piece of the action,' says Sully, 27, a former Peace Corps volunteer who grew up in Washington.
There's no doubting camel milk's health benefits. Not only does it contain three times the amount of vitamin C found in cow's milk, it's rich in iron, vitamin B and unsaturated fatty acids. In Africa, it is believed to be beneficial for people suffering from HIV-Aids, while in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Somaliland it is given to patients recovering from everything from anaemia to tuberculosis. It is also said to ease symptoms of autism.
There are already signs that camel milk's potential is being noticed. With the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimating an untapped market worth US$10 billion a year for camel milk and dairy products, the first camel dairies have already sprung up in Europe and the US. Prices are moving upwards as camel herders from Abu Dhabi to Uzbekistan realise that they are literally sitting on a prized commodity.