Friesians were bred in the Netherlands over many hundreds of years to be excellent milk-makers. A modern Friesian cow can produce around 30 litres of milk a day - that is about 60 big bottles, every single day. Across the world today, around half of all dairy cows are descended from Dutch Friesians.
Dutch dairy farms are usually small and family-run. Many farmers know each of their cows by name. The cows live in flat green fields between canals, eating fresh grass in summer and stored hay in winter. In the cool damp climate of the Netherlands, grass grows brilliantly - which is one big reason Dutch dairy farming has always done so well.
Cows have a special stomach with four chambers. They eat the grass once, then bring it back up later and chew it again. This is called 'chewing the cud'. If you ever see a cow lying in a field chewing slowly with its eyes half-closed, that's what's happening.
Friesian cows make the milk that goes into Dutch cheeses like Gouda and Edam, into Dutch chocolate-milk (chocolademelk), into yoghurt and butter. So the cow, the cheese, and the windmill that pumped water off the field she stands in - all are part of the same story.