Kazakh Specialty · Sweet Dried Curd
Irimshik
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It tastes noticeably sweet even with no sugar added — the long, slow simmer alone caramelizes the milk sugars, unlike the salty dried curd found across the rest of Mongolia.
Milk is slow-cooked down until it caramelizes into a soft curd, then pressed and, for the long-keeping version, dried into small blocks. Kazakh households in Bayan-Ölgii serve it as a treat alongside tea, distinct from the tangier dried curds eaten elsewhere in Mongolia.
Why it's made this way: Irimshik is a specifically Kazakh dairy preparation, setting Bayan-Ölgii's tea table apart from the salted curd served in Khalkha Mongol households across the rest of the country.
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