Dairy Heartland · Sun-Dried Curd
Aaruul
Photo: Bolonoo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Aaruul is so hard that it's usually nibbled or sucked slowly rather than bitten, and Mongolians pocket it as a travel snack for long journeys.
Leftover curds from butter- and cheese-making are broken up, sometimes mixed with berries, and left to dry in the sun on the roof of a ger for days until rock-hard. Arkhangai's lush Khangai mountain pastures are considered Mongolia's premier dairy country, and its aaruul is sold in markets nationwide as a benchmark version.
Why it's made this way: Arkhangai's grassy, well-watered Khangai highlands produce some of Mongolia's richest milk, and the province has built a reputation as the country's dairy heartland around that natural advantage.
More from Mongolia
Airag
Suutei Tsai (Salted Milk Tea)
Khorkhog / Boodog (Stone-Cooked Whole Sheep or Goat)
Tsuivan (Цуйван)
Buuz
Khuushuur
Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.