Bayan-Ölgii Street Food

5 dishes in Mongolia

5 street foods from Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia: Besbarmak, Kazy, Baursak, Irimshik and Qurt. Each one has its own page with the story behind it and what to look for.

Street foods of Bayan-Ölgii

Kazakh Feast · Boiled Meat & Noodles Besbarmak (Five Fingers) The name means 'five fingers' because it's traditionally eaten entirely by hand — at a Kazakh feast the sheep's head is presented to the guest of… Boiled horse or mutton rib meat and rich broth-cooked noodles are layered together, topped with a mild onion sauce, and eaten by hand from a shared communal platter. In Bayan-Ölgii… Honored-Guest Dish · Horse Rib Sausage Kazy It's considered too special for everyday eating — Kazakh families in Bayan-Ölgii traditionally reserve kazy for honored guests and major… Meat and fat from a horse's rib section are seasoned and packed into a length of cleaned intestine, then simmered for hours until firm enough to slice. It's served cold in rounds, usually… Tea-Table Staple · Fried Dough Balls Baursak No Kazakh tea service in Bayan-Ölgii is considered complete without a bowl of it on the table — it functions as the bread course at essentially… Balls or diamonds of soft yeasted dough are deep-fried until puffed and golden, producing bread that's light and slightly chewy inside. It's set out at every meal and tea service in Kazakh… 🧀 Kazakh Specialty · Sweet Dried Curd Irimshik It tastes noticeably sweet even with no sugar added — the long, slow simmer alone browns the milk sugars, unlike the sharp, sour dried curd found… 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… Trail Ration · Salted Dried Curd Qurt (Kurt) Soaked and crumbled in warm water, a few pieces of qurt turn back into a sour, salty liquid that Kazakh cooks use to season soups and noodle dishes. Salted curd is pressed into small hard balls or discs and air-dried until rock-solid, able to keep for months without refrigeration. Bayan-Ölgii's Kazakh herders carry it as trail food…

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