Mongolia

The nomads of Mongolia sustain their lives directly from the product of domesticated animals such as cattle,horses,camels,yaks,sheep, and goats, as well as game. Meat is either cooked, used as an ingredient for soups and dumplings (buuz,khuushuur,banish,manti), or dried for winter (borts).The Mongolian diet includes a large proporation of animals fat which is necessary for the Mongols to withstand the cold winters and their work. Milk and cream are used to make a variety of beverages, as well as cheese and similar products. Mongolians usually cook in cast-iron or aluminum pot on a small stove, using wood or dry animal drug fuel (agral).

The most common rural dish is cooked mutton, often without any other ingredients. Other types of dumpling are boiled in water (banash, manti) or deep fried in mutton fat (khuushuur). Other dishes combine the meat with rice or fresh noodles made into various stews(tsuivan, budaati, huurga) or noodles soups (guriltai shol).

The most surprising method is only used on special occasions. In this case , the meat (often together with vegetables) gets cooked with the help of stones, which have been preheated in a fire.

Milk is boiled to separate the cream. The remaining skimmed milk is processed into cheese (byaslag), dried curds (aaruul), yugort, kefir , amd a light milk liquor (shimiin askhi). The most prominent national beverage is airag, which is fermented mare’s milk. A popular cereal is barely, which is fried and malted. The resulting flour (arvain guril) is eaten as porridge in milk fat and sugar or drunk mixed in milky tea.

Horse meat is eaten in Mongolia.

Mongolian sweets include boortsog , a type of biscuit or cookie eaten on special occasions.

Vodka is the most popular alchoholic beverage; Chinggis vodka (name for Genghis Khan) is the most popular brand, making up 30%.