> I have never seen milk or cheese in my limited exposure to Indian cuisine.
Indian cuisine is diary oriented to a point that while vegetarian food is super common, it is very difficult to find vegan food (especially North Indian food which is more common in the west). As a fun exercise try finding a local Indian restaurant and see how many of the dishes are vegetarian vs vegan. If you live in an area with a large Indian population, you may find Indian vegetarian restaurants locally - check their menu for vegan items. Milk consumption both directly or in tea is extremely common. Butter and ghee (clarified butter) is omnipresent in Indian cooking. Yogurt (locally called curd) and buttermilk (watery yogurt) is also widely consumed. Paneer, which is a kind of cheese made from curdling milk (very similar to tofu) is very common in North Indian dishes.
That comment flabbergasted me, lol. One of the few things popularly known about Hindus is many of them consider cows sacred. Although, technically, many in India will choose to use ox milk instead of cow milk since it is much richer/fattier (and I assume cheaper too).
Indian cuisine is diary oriented to a point that while vegetarian food is super common, it is very difficult to find vegan food (especially North Indian food which is more common in the west). As a fun exercise try finding a local Indian restaurant and see how many of the dishes are vegetarian vs vegan. If you live in an area with a large Indian population, you may find Indian vegetarian restaurants locally - check their menu for vegan items. Milk consumption both directly or in tea is extremely common. Butter and ghee (clarified butter) is omnipresent in Indian cooking. Yogurt (locally called curd) and buttermilk (watery yogurt) is also widely consumed. Paneer, which is a kind of cheese made from curdling milk (very similar to tofu) is very common in North Indian dishes.