Nomad Staple · Fermented Mare's Milk
Airag
Photo: Brücke-Osteuropa / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
The same fermented mare's milk is called kumis in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and in Mongolia it is sold in summer from roadside gers along the main highways.
Airag is raw mare's milk fermented for a day or more until it turns tangy, fizzy, and faintly boozy (around 2-3% ABV). Herding families churn it constantly in a wooden bag or barrel, then serve it in bowls to any visitor who passes by, especially across the summer months when mares are lactating.
Why it's made this way: For centuries it's been a core part of the nomadic Mongolian diet on the steppe, where dairy from horses, not grain or grape, became the basis of the local fermented drink.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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