Buffalo

The buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a species of bovines native from South Asia, South-East Asia and China. Today it can also be found in some countries in Europe, Australia and America. It is a horned, ruminant, bull-like with coarse, sparse black or white hair, with ringed horns turned back, usually with black fur.

In Transylvania, buffaloes are called drigane. Although the driganes give very good, fat milk, people no longer want to keep them. Probably because after calving, the buffalo cannot be milked for as many months as a cow. Besides, a buffalo reaches maturity at four years, not two like a cow.

Buffalo milk is characterized by a very high fat content of over 7-8%. It is mainly used in soft cheeses (even mozzarella). Buffalo milk has all the nutrients as cow's milk, but is at least 3x richer in each category (especially iron).

Buffalo were brought to Romania by migratory peoples (about 1500 years ago) through the south of the country (Bulgaria). This animal lives on average about 25-28 years, like a jaguar. It is a quiet animal that attacks only to defend itself from predators (wolves, bears, etc.). It has a mass of about 700-800 kg, a height of 1.6-1.8 m and a length of 2-2.3 m.