There is no other nation in the world besides the Mongols that processes and consumes milk in so many diverse ways. Later, the Tibetans learned the methods of making dairy products from the Mongols. The reason rural Mongolian people have notably white teeth is thanks to the benefits of consuming dairy products. A 1918 study found that 55.3% of the Mongolian diet’s basic nutritional needs came from milk and dairy products, while meat accounted for 20.3%. Additionally, the daily diet composition included 12.8% millet and wheat flour, 1.2% rice, and 0.1% sugar products. The study also noted the daily consumption of 51.8 grams of compressed green tea and 4.6 grams of alcohol.
In 1997, the Ministry of Health and the Nutrition Center of Mongolia established recommended daily nutrient intake guidelines for adult Mongolians. According to these, an average Mongolian should consume about 2723 kilocalories daily, consisting of approximately 104.85 grams of protein, 72.23 grams of fat, and 403.74 grams of carbohydrates. To meet this energy requirement, the diet includes traditional foods such as meat, milk, flour, and rice, as well as fish, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, sweets, potatoes, vegetables, and fruits. The guidelines also recommend the amounts and frequency of consumption and balance between these food groups. From this, it is clear that the primary sources of nutrition for Mongolians remain traditional staples like meat, milk, dairy products, flour, and rice.
Researcher Ya. Tsevel noted that if Mongolian foods are categorized broadly, there are over 180 types of meat dishes, more than 130 types of dairy and white dishes, about 30 types of pastries, totaling around 350 varieties of traditional Mongolian cuisine.
AARUUL (MONGOLIAN DRIED CURD)
When tarag (fermented milk/yogurt) is boiled, it produces a very sour white liquid. When this liquid is strained, white curds remain. These white curds are collected in bags and strained thoroughly. The liquid that drains off is called aaruul. The aaruul is then tied in a cloth (usually cheesecloth) and placed between large stones to press and thicken it until all the liquid is removed.
The thickened aaruul is taken out from between the stones, cut into thin strips with fine thread, and laid out on specially prepared wooden boards to dry in the sun. Because aaruul is very rich in protein, it dries well under sunlight and wind over several days.
Aaruul can be shaped and prepared in various ways such as by cutting or molding, and it has many different names based on its form: finger-shaped, worm-shaped, sliced, crushed, stamped, pellet-like, molded, round, cube, or flat disc.
Aaruul is beneficial for digestion. Traditionally, dried aaruul stored for a long time can be boiled in black broth made from suckling lamb’s meat and consumed as a remedy to cure persistent coughs and colds.
AARTS (FERMENTED MILK CURD)
Aarts is prepared by straining the curd that forms when boiling fermented mare’s milk (airag) or yogurt (tarag). There are two types of aarts. The aarts made by straining the curd from boiled fermented mare’s milk is called nermel aarts, while the aarts made by straining yogurt is called tarag aarts.
To make nermel aarts, the curd is poured into another container and left to cool for 10-12 hours. During this time, the protein solids settle. Then, the curd is placed in a cloth bag and gently pressed to remove the yellow whey. Afterward, fresh milk equal to 30% of the curd’s weight is added, and the mixture is strained and clarified again.
To make tarag aarts, freshly churned yogurt is gently boiled over low heat for 30 minutes and then strained.
The finished aarts is stored in a skin container (guze), usually prepared in the early autumn and kept throughout the winter to be consumed mainly in spring. Aarts should be stored in a dry and cool place.
Airag (Fermented Mare’s Milk)
Airag is rich in nutrients, warm in nature, and has a sour taste. Compared to the milk of other livestock, it contains higher amounts of albumin, vitamins, and milk sugars. Due to its content of amino acids and fatty acids, it is superior to milk from any other type of livestock. One liter of airag can fulfill the daily vitamin C requirement of the human body.
The fat content in mare’s milk is almost three times lower than that of cow’s milk, but it melts at a relatively low temperature, allowing for quick absorption and digestion in the body, which gives it therapeutic qualities. Russian scientist P.Yu. Berlin proved that the tuberculosis bacteria cannot survive in the fat of mare’s milk or airag.
The composition of mare’s milk includes 2% fat, 2.2% protein, 6.6% lactose, and 2.5-8.5 milligrams of vitamin C. Mongolians have been making and consuming airag for over 2000 years.
Mare’s fermented milk, called saam, contains 6-8% sugar. During fermentation, this sugar breaks down into alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other components. To ferment airag, the saam is strained and mixed with fresh milk, then churned 3,000-5,000 times.
Airag contains almost all the essential vitamins needed for human health, including vitamins A, C, B, and E. It is richer in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, cobalt, and copper compared to cow’s milk, and these minerals are easily absorbed.
Airag has important nutritional, therapeutic, and antibacterial properties. One liter of mare’s airag contains about 20 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein, 35 grams of sugars, and provides 453.7 kilocalories of energy.
Byaslag (Cheese)
Cheese is primarily made in spring and autumn from boiled milk of cows, sheep, and goats, as well as from raw milk that has not been used to make curds or cottage cheese. Making cheese requires a relatively large amount of milk. The milk is gently heated over a low flame, then mixed and kneaded with sour cream, fresh yogurt, or similar dairy products.
Once the mixture begins to firm up, it is placed into a cheesecloth or a cloth bag to drain the whey. After that, the curd is wrapped tightly in square or rectangular cloth (cheesecloth or muslin), then pressed between two flat wooden boards or stones with a heavy weight on top to press out more whey and further solidify the cheese. The pressed cheese becomes evenly firm within 1 to 3 hours.
When making cheese, it is important to carefully balance the amount of whey and sour cream used during kneading. Over-kneading results in cheese with a bitter and sour taste. Properly kneaded and well-pressed cheese has a smooth surface without cracks, a fine texture, and a dense consistency.
Cheese made from raw milk has better fat content and richer taste compared to cheese made from boiled milk. On the other hand, cheese made from boiled milk has lower fat content, which makes it harder and crumbles easily; it does not rehydrate well, so it is usually not dried and stored for long periods.
Cheese is commonly used as a special dish during travels, when guests visit, or at weddings and celebrations.
Öröm and Zöökhii
When churning milk, the milk is slowly poured from a height using a churn paddle. Among the components of milk, fat globules are the lightest, so during heating, they rise to the surface and foam, forming a layer called “öröm” (clotted cream). The öröm layer forms in about 30 minutes. After foaming, the milk is gradually cooled, and when the foam begins to settle and the öröm starts to solidify, typically in the evening, it is gently reheated over low heat just until it simmers. This reheating helps firm and thicken the öröm and causes the cream to settle.
When reheating öröm, the heat should not be too strong or too high, because excessive heat causes the milk to boil violently, breaking the öröm layer and negatively affecting its thickening. On the other hand, insufficient heating and stirring result in thin and watery öröm.
After this process, the pot with öröm is taken to a cool place for 12 to 24 hours. Then the öröm is carefully cut and folded, layered with cream, placed on racks, and hung to drain. This process is called “keeping öröm.”
Separately, when milk is cooled without churning, the cream layer rises and solidifies on top, forming “tsötsgii” (cream). Tsötsgii is known for its detoxifying properties and is traditionally recorded in texts as helpful for alleviating plant poisonings, frostbite, dampness, and swelling caused by water.
When the öröm from the pot is collected day by day into animal stomachs or wooden containers and stored in a cool place, it becomes raw curd called “zöökhii.” This storage process is called “curing zöökhii.” During this curing, lactic acid fermentation occurs inside, breaking down milk sugar and some proteins. During this reaction, if the zöökhii is melted into fat, it produces the famous Mongolian yellow butter.
Historical records from the Yuan dynasty note that zöökhii improves heart and lung strength, treats coughing, removes lung dryness, and stops coughing up blood.
Tarag (Yogurt)
This sour and milky-flavored drink is made from either raw or boiled milk. When making Mongolian tarag, first the boiled milk is heated to about 42–45°C, then a starter culture called “khöröngö” is added. The amount of khöröngö added is typically 1–3% of the volume of the milk being fermented. The khöröngö contains invisible lactic acid bacteria, which break down the milk sugar into lactic acid, causing the formation of tarag.
If too little khöröngö is added, the fermentation process slows down, but if too much is added, the yogurt becomes overly sour and strong. After adding the starter, the milk is thoroughly churned and mixed evenly, poured into containers, sealed, and left undisturbed in a warm environment of 35–40°C.
The thick residue left after straining fresh tarag is also called khöröngö. Besides being nutritious, tarag has medicinal and therapeutic benefits. It helps inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause infectious diseases such as intestinal dysentery and malaria.
Tsagaan Tos (White Clarified Butter)
Collected zöökhii (a form of clotted cream) is placed in a cheesecloth or fabric bag and hung to allow the whey to drain. Then, the remaining cream is stirred in a container to separate the fat from the whey. This separated fat is called tsagaan tos, or white clarified butter.
In late autumn, stored summer öröm (cream skin) and zöökhii are melted to extract yellow butter (shar tos), and the remaining residue is mixed with eezgii (dried curds), then packed into a sheep’s stomach and frozen for winter consumption. This preserved fat mixture is referred to as tsagaan tos, melted butter, or mixed butter, depending on the method and ingredients used.
To enhance its flavor, tsagaan tos can be mixed with sugar, raisins, crumbled eezgii, ground barley (known as mekheer), and roasted flour (bor guril) for use in meals.
Tsagaan tos has a cooling nature and helps generate fortified fatty acids. It is used to stop diarrhea, relieve chronic lung coughs, and alleviate conditions caused by excess bile, wind, and intestinal heat.
Shar Tos (Yellow Clarified Butter)
When zöökhii (fermented clotted cream) or tsagaan tos (white clarified butter) is melted in a pot, a clear golden-yellow liquid separates. This is known as shar tos, or yellow clarified butter. The butterfat from Mongolian cow and kainag milk is pale yellow, that from yak milk is a brighter, more intense yellow, while sheep, goat, and camel butter is lighter or whitish in color.
If raw öröm (cream skin) is kneaded in cold water and then melted, a greater amount of shar tos can be extracted. Adding a small amount of cold milk or whey to the melting öröm also speeds up the separation of the butterfat.
Mongolians use shar tos not only as a food but also as medicine and in spiritual rituals. It is used for frying traditional pastries such as bin, dalan davkhar, sharvin, khuushuur, and for flavoring tea, cooking rice, mixing into dough for festive bread, and kneading roasted barley flour (tsagaan idee).
Shar tos is also used for healing purposes: it is believed to help those suffering from frostbite, hypothermia after falling into cold rivers, or exposure to snow and rain. Mixed with vodka and given to such individuals, it is thought to provide quick relief. For abdominal pain or colic, roasted rice husks mixed with shar tos are warmed and used as a compress, believed to aid fast recovery.
Shar Us (Whey)
The liquid remaining after making aaruul (dried curd) or khuruud (a type of cheese) is called shar us, or whey. It is used in the distillation of traditional Mongolian alcohol (arkhi), and in fermenting flour for baking.
There is also a specific type called tsagaanii shar us (whey from white dairy products), which is used for washing and revitalizing weakened livestock. When used in tanning, it improves the resilience of hides, making the fur more lustrous and resistant to moisture.
According to the book “A Brief Overview of Mongolian Dairy Products”, tsagaanii shar us was also traditionally used to sweat out chronic conditions like joint pain, lower back problems, and lingering damp-cold illnesses through therapeutic bathing.
Shimiin Arkhi (Mongolian Distilled Milk Liquor)
One of the most widely consumed traditional alcoholic beverages among Mongolians is milk-based distilled liquor, known as shimiin arkhi. It is also referred to as Mongolian arkhi, nermel arkhi (distilled liquor), or milk liquor. The process of producing it is called togoo neree — “distilling with a pot.”
To begin the distillation, fermented dairy products such as tsagaan idee (fermented milk) or tarag (yogurt) are poured into a large cauldron until full. A tall, conical lid about two cubits (elbows) high is placed on top, and a small pot, called a jalavch, is set on the top opening. When the mixture begins to boil, the alcohol vapor rises and condenses on the bottom of the jalavch, which is filled with cold water. As the vapor cools, it drips down into a trough located midway within the conical lid and is collected via a spout into a container—this is the shimiin arkhi.
The first drops of distilled liquor are called suus, considered to be the lowest quality and not suitable for drinking as-is. If suus is distilled again, it becomes arz. Distilling arz again yields khorz, followed by sharaz and finally borz with each subsequent distillation. The more it is distilled, the stronger and purer the liquor becomes.
As for the jalavch on top of the still, its water needs to be replaced when it warms to about 30°C (86°F). Typically, water is replaced four times during a single distillation process, but replacing it too often can reduce the quality of the liquor. Ideally, it should only be changed once or twice.
To create darmal arkhi (sealed, aged liquor), fruits like plums are added to the distilled liquor, the container is sealed tightly, wrapped, and then buried in a meter-deep pit with a ceramic pot placed upside down over it. After aging underground for one year, it is unearthed and consumed. If aged for 2–3 years, it becomes khurshaasan arkhi, a premium-aged liquor.
Eedem (Curdled Milk Dish)
Eedem is a traditional Mongolian dairy food made by curdling freshly boiled hot milk with a small amount of yogurt. The resulting curds are separated from the whey and consumed without pressing them into cheese. It is a soft, white, mildly sour curd.
Eating a bowl of eedem is believed to restore strength and vitality, cleanse the body of toxins, and is particularly effective as a natural remedy for liver and gallbladder ailments.
Eezgii (Dried Curd)
Eezgii is a traditional Mongolian dairy product made by curdling milk in a process similar to cheese-making. However, unlike cheese, the whey is not separated. Instead, the curds and whey are gently boiled together over low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the curds become thick. The curd is then broken into small pieces, stirred continuously with a spatula, and dried until it turns a light brownish-yellow color. After that, it is laid out on specially prepared wooden screens to dry.
Eezgii is rich in protein and milk sugar. It can be consumed on its own or mixed with tsagaan tos (rendered milk fat). Before eating, it is usually soaked in milk to soften. In the Gobi and steppe regions, due to limited access to fuel for boiling, eezgii is rarely prepared.