Veiz Basha milks a jenny (female donkey) at his Reiz donkey farm, near Gjirokaster, on November 28, 2024, with around thirty females and four males and plan to enlarge the heard from January, taking advantage of the natural pastures at the foot of the Gjirokaster mountains, which are rich in biodiversity. On a small farm in Albania's southern Gjirokaster region, Basha and her husband Veiz, will use donkey milk to make cheese, curd or whey.
For thousands of years, donkey milk has been praised for numerous virtues.
The legend says that Cleopatra immersed herself in donkey milk baths that guaranteed her beauty and youth.
Beyond the aesthetic considerations of the Egyptian queen, who was made legendary by French writer Rene Goscinny famous for the Asterix comic book series, the milk "heals children, is a natural remedy for respiratory tracts, allergies and the immune system", assures Fatiko Basha. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP) (Photo by ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty Images)