Mongolia’s Five-Legged Livestock Feed on Pasture Plants Rich in Nutrients

Mongolian livestock—comprising five major types—graze on pastures that contain over 600 species of superior forage plants rich in nutrients. These plants dry and crack during the autumn season, accumulating a high amount of mineral elements. As a result, Mongolian livestock are able to intake and store sufficient physiological minerals throughout the four seasons of the year. Meat serves as a source of water-soluble B-group vitamins as well as vitamin PP (niacin).

Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium found in Mongolian livestock meat are far below the permissible maximum limits, making it an environmentally pure product. Mongolians traditionally classify meat by its thermal quality as hot, warm, or cool, adjusting the balance of the body’s energy, bile, and phlegm through their diet. For example, meats classified as hot include horse, marmot, deer, and fish; warm meats include sheep; and cool meats include cattle, goats, camels, and pork.

During the peak cold season when livestock have accumulated fat and condition, Mongolians slaughter animals to prepare meat for food and nutrition—a process known as “idesh.” Fresh, wet meat is hung for a short time, then cut without breaking bones, separating the joints, and dividing it equally between lean meat and fat.

Sheep meat is known for its delicious taste due to the fine texture of its muscle fibers. The ideal ratio of bone to fat meat is 1:5, which is typical in young lambs. The custom of fully utilizing the internal organs of sheep in cuisine is related to their high protein content. The proportion of indispensable amino acids in Mongolian sheep meat protein is 41.64%, compared to 29.28% in Kyrgyz fine wool sheep and 39.09% in New Zealand sheep.

Beef is classified as cool meat, whereas yak meat is considered warm. Beef contains relatively high amounts of indispensable amino acids, and only 50 grams of dried meat can fully meet the daily protein requirements of the human body. Fat-soluble vitamins are more abundant in beef.

Horse meat is rich in protein, with valine, phenylalanine, methionine, cystine, asparagine, serine, glutamine, and tyrosine exceeding the amounts found in beef, according to research. Horse meat is regarded as an excellent quality protein source. It also contains large amounts of glutamic acid, albumin, globulin, and myogenic proteins, making it highly nutritious and easily digestible. For this reason, horse meat has traditionally been consumed during the cold winter months as a quickly absorbable nutrient similar to poultry and fish.

Goat meat is considered cool, and young lamb meat is prized for its good digestibility and suitability, leading to the near-exclusive consumption of these meats during the warm season. Goat meat protein is easily digestible, with a unique composition of fat that is high in high-molecular saturated fatty acids and waxy, making it more suitable for consumption only in warmer seasons. When goats feed on blooming herbs in early summer, they absorb all biologically active substances from forage plants, providing medicinal qualities. This is the origin of the Mongolian saying “soup from goats that ate the marsh flowers.”

Camel meat has a lighter, coarser texture compared to beef, with yellowish-white fat that is odorless and tasteless; the internal fat solidifies quickly. Chemically, camel meat is similar to beef but contains higher levels of carbohydrates, sugars, and glycogen, making it easy to digest in the stomach and classified as cool meat. People in Mongolia’s Gobi region have traditionally dried and preserved camel meat similarly to beef, and it is considered of high quality. One of the main indicators of meat quality is mineral content. Camel and goat meat contain higher mineral levels than other livestock. Gobi sheep and cattle meat are rich in zinc, copper, and iron. Horse meat is high in sodium and copper, while camel meat is abundant in sodium, potassium, and nickel.

Traditional Mongolian Cuisine: The Central Role of Meat and Its Varieties

The staple food of Mongolians is undoubtedly meat and meat-based dishes, with over 200 national traditional dishes recognized. Among these, there are more than 70 varieties made specifically from animal offal (internal organs). Meat is traditionally prepared by various methods including boiling whole, roasting, stewing, and frying.

The most honored dishes served to esteemed guests include boodog (roasted meat cooked inside the animal’s skin), khorhog (hot stone-cooked meat), roasted lamb broth, and boiled roasted meat broth. Mongolian soups generally consist of meat cooked with various other ingredients. There are many types of soup dishes that include dumplings (buuz), noodles (bansh), potatoes, nettle, herbs, ribs, vegetables, eggs, and flour.

“Offal” refers to internal organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, spleen, pancreas, esophagus, throat, mesentery, and blood. Internal organs account for approximately 13% of the live weight in large livestock and 12% in smaller animals. The most common offal dishes include boiling whole intestines, making “five innards soup,” preparing liver paste, extracting hyarmtsag (a type of cooked offal delicacy), and boiling horse tripe. Mongolians have also traditionally prepared a wide range of hot and cold appetizers.

Bantan

This dish is favored by all, from infants newly introduced to solid food to the elderly. It is considered superior to any other thick soup. Bantan is classified according to the thickness of the flour paste: coarse and thick paste is called “beef bantaan,” medium-thick paste is “mutton bantaan,” and finely sieved paste is “khuurgan bantaan.” The flavor can vary depending on the fineness of the flour paste. Among Mongolians, it is renowned as the “gold medal dish.”

Stuffed Dishes (Bitüü Khol)

Items such as fried meat pies (huushuur), steamed dumplings (buuz), and noodles (bansh) belong to the category of stuffed dishes in traditional Mongolian cuisine. Although these dishes were introduced from China, Mongolians have developed them into their own national dishes. Seasoned meat is wrapped in dough, and the edges of the dough are pinched together in various styles. These dishes are central to festive occasions like the Lunar New Year and are served to honored guests.

Sealed Soup (Bitüü Shöl)

This soup is prepared by tightly sealing the mouth of a pot, or an organ such as the esophagus or stomach, with rolled dough and cooking it in water or steam. The filling consists exclusively of mutton meat, flavored with salt, onions, and garlic.

This traditional dish is made by cooking meat in its own juices without adding water. The meat is cooked inside the animal’s skin, heated by hot stones that are placed inside. Boodog is typically made from goat or marmot meat. The goat is killed without cutting its neck, and its intestines are removed intact. The bones are cleaned, the meat left inside the skin, and the carcass is stuffed. Hot round stones heated to red-hot are placed inside the carcass along with salt, onions, and wild garlic for seasoning, then a small amount of water is added to create steam. The opening is tightly sewn using horse tail hair to seal it. The meat is gently massaged and rolled several times by hand to distribute heat evenly.

Borts (Dried Meat)
Borts is the traditional Mongolian method of preserving meat for a long time. It is made from sheep, cattle, camel, or goat meat. Usually prepared in cold weather (not below 10°C), typically late November or early December. Meat is sliced 2–4 cm thick and 15–30 cm long, hung with 2 cm spacing to dry. Beef and camel borts are considered higher quality. Properly prepared Mongolian borts can last 1–3 years without losing quality. It is lightweight compared to fresh meat, easy to transport and store, and important both economically and hygienically. Borts contains about 80% protein, rich in essential amino acids.

Bulmag (Steamed Meat)
Prepared by wrapping seasoned whole meat in birch bark or similar material, then placed in hot ash or heated sand to steam it without air exposure. This is a traditional cooking method deeply rooted in Mongolian culture.

Whole Meat Stew
Bone-in meat boiled in salted water, often with whole vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and turnips. Mongolians consume a variety of meat dishes daily including broths, roasted meat, stews, and fried dishes.

Three-Bone Soup
Made by simmering the shank bones of a young sheep, ribs, and skull in a sealed pot for rich broth.

Fish Dishes
Historically consumed since the time of the Xianbei. Fish is prepared in many ways: boiled, roasted, steamed, fried, or made into dumplings and pies. Preservation includes salting, drying, freezing, and roe is used in special snacks mixed with oil and flour.

Ikh Bükhül (Whole Boiled Meat)
A ceremonial dish where the whole sheep (except the stomach) is boiled intact, shaved, and coated with melted butter, then served on a large tray.

Ikh Yos-ny Uuts (Ceremonial Boiled Meat with Offal)
A prestigious dish made from boiling and steaming ram parts including offal, head, and ribs, served during important occasions.

Kaz (Kazakh Sausage)
Made from horse ribs stuffed into horse stomach with salt and spices, boiled and smoked in the field.

Mongolian Tea
Various regional styles exist, often medicinal. Examples include Matad tea (using dried gaguudai herb), Mekheer tea (with fried flour and butter), and many more, each with unique ingredients and preparation. Some teas are boiled with bones or meat for nutrition and medicinal benefits.

Narin Tulam
A dish made from goose or swan neck skins stuffed with meat and onions, boiled or fried.

Olgoy Soup
A soup made by washing sheep or goat stomach, filling it with chopped meat, and cooking it sealed.

Tavan Türüü Shüüs (Five-Pronged Meat)
Symbolic dish representing five parts of the animal (neck, ribs, head, tail, limbs), served during ceremonies.

Tarvagan Meat Dish
Marmot meat is rich in nutrients and often used in traditional medicine. Prepared in stews or traditional Mongolian BBQ (khorkhog).

Head and Offal Dishes
Sheep or cattle heads and offal are cleaned, boiled, and can be eaten whole or made into snacks and dumplings. Modernly also used in sausages and processed products.

Uutsan Shüüs (Backbone Meat)
A highly respected dish involving specific parts of the spine and ribs, served with strict traditional protocols.

Ünkheltség (Stuffed Heart)
Heart lining stuffed with chopped meat, salt, and onions, sewn up and boiled, producing rich blood used in various blood-based foods.

Üüts (Frozen Meat Preservation)
Meat kept in clean air and cold weather for weeks, wrapped and stored in animal skin, lasting several months.

Khavchuurga (Pressed Meat)
Boneless meat flattened, seasoned, and pressed between hot stones, then cooked on heated sand.

Khorhog
Khorhog is a traditional Mongolian dish somewhat similar to boodog but cooked in a sealed container with a tight lid. Traditionally, it was often prepared inside a goat’s stomach. The stomach is thoroughly cleaned several times, then stuffed with large chunks of meat seasoned with salt, onions, and wild garlic, along with a little water for broth. Hot stones, previously heated in a fire, are placed inside along with the meat and the stomach is tightly tied with a thin rope. It is then cooked by rotating it over an argaal (wood fire) until done. The tied mouth of the stomach should be loosened occasionally to prevent bursting. Khorhog can be made from the meat of any livestock. To ensure the meat cooks well with the hot stones inside, the stomach is gently shaken and rolled.

Khuylmal
This dish is made from the loin meat (spinal meat) which is separated from the bones, then seasoned with salt and onions. The meat is boiled until partially cooked, wrapped in sheep’s caul fat, and then grilled over hot embers or a fire. It is considered done when pricked with the tip of a fork, clear juice comes out.

Khyramtsag
Khyramtsag is a dish made by mixing animal blood with five key organs — thin intestines, liver, kidney, heart, and lungs — in equal parts, then stuffing the mixture into a stomach and freezing it. Because it is rich in fat and nutrients, this dish was widely consumed during winter evenings. Khyramtsag is used to make steamed dumplings (buuz) and fried pastries (khuushuur), and can also be combined with flour and rice in soups.

Sharshan Khoniny Shuus (Roasted Sheep Breast)
This delicacy can be made from any livestock meat but the roasted sheep breast is considered a high-class dish served to honored guests. The breastbone is carefully split open without cutting through the four legs and 36 joints, then rubbed with about 900 grams of salt, 150 grams of onions, and garlic. The mixture is massaged into the meat and left in a cool place for 12 hours before roasting. It is roasted on a metal grate placed inside an oven, breast side up, covered, and heated over fully burned wood embers for 2–3 hours, turning several times.

Shakhaldah
This dish is made from marmot meat cooked slowly in its own fat until tender. It is salted generously and sealed tightly in a container with the fat, then stored for several months. It can be likened to “marmot sprats.” This is a traditional ancient Mongolian delicacy.

Shorlog
During long military campaigns, Genghis Khan and his soldiers hunted and preserved food by grilling meat over open fires. They would place their shields on the fire, and use their swords or arrow shafts to turn and grill the meat — a technique later known worldwide as “barbecue.” This grilled meat was called “shorlog” in Mongolia, and was traditionally shared among all in a community, reflecting the belief that game meat is a divine gift meant to be shared equally. Mongols avoided hoarding or coveting hunted meat and shared it generously.

Shuuz
One method to preserve meat during warm seasons is called “shuuze,” which involves cutting meat into small pieces and salting it. Properly prepared shuuze can be stored and consumed for more than a month during summer.

Yalbag
Yalbag is a fatty, nutritious, and tender dish made from finely chopped marmot organs such as internal fat, liver, heart, kidney, and stomach mixed with salt, onions, and wild garlic, then crushed and cooked gently. It is a rich and calorie-dense dish.