Mongolian cuisine

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Mongolian barbecue.
Khuushuur meat pies, buuz dumplings and boiled mutton
aaruul (dried curds), and ul boov
cakes

Mongolian cuisine predominantly consists of dairy products, meat, and animal fats. The most common rural dish is cooked mutton. In the city, steamed dumplings filled with meat—"buuz"— are popular.

The extreme

continental climate of Mongolia and the lowest population density in the world of just 2.2 inhabitants/km2 has influenced the traditional diet. Use of vegetables and spices are limited. Due to geographic proximity and deep historic ties with China and Russia, Mongolian cuisine is also influenced by Chinese and Russian cuisine.[1]

History

See also: Society of the Mongol Empire § Food in the Mongol Empire

Details of the historic cuisine of the Mongolian court were recorded by

Mongol Iran) that enriched the Mongol Empire.[3] Food scholars consider the Yinshan Zhengyao evidence for the cultural influence of the Middle East on Mongol food culture, comparable to the Columbian exchange.[4]

Court cuisine

kumiss is served with scallions and onions, horse meat, roast mutton, venison, quail, pheasant, diced chicken (tianji) and bear meat, with red wine and congee.[5] According to Marco Polo
the Mongols hunted daily in December, January and February when the court was resident at the capital, with a portion of the lions, stags, bears and wild boars sent to the court of the Khan. The Khan was said to keep trained leopards, eagles, and wolves for hunting, and very fine lions that could hunt wild boars, cattle, stags and bears.

Influences

Nomadic

See also: List of wild edible plants in Mongolian cuisine

Little is known of the early Mongol cuisine, other than the assumption that it would be similar to the general

kumys, and valued for their hearty, nutritious meat and blood. Less common herd animals were reindeers and sarlag, a type of yak.[6]

As far as hunting, Mongols hunted the wild animals of the

Hoelun was forced to resort to feeding her children from the pastures after the Tatars poisoned her husband Yesugei. The context of this story implies that these types of foods were consumed only out of necessity. The roots and wild fruits mentioned are:[7]

English Mongol Latin
Scarlet lily bulbs ja'uqasun Lilium concolor
Garden burnet root südün Sanguisorba officinalis
Wild apple ölirsün Probably Malus pallasiana
Bird cherries moyilsun Prunus padus
Chinese chives qoqosun Allium tuberosum
Wild garlic qaliyarsun Allium victorialis
Wild onions manggirsun Allium senescens
Cinquefoil root cicigina
Potentilla anserina

China

The Yinshan Zhengyao features recipes with Central Asian influence, mostly in north China. Some difference continues in the present day and dishes with lamb, fancy breads and fried dumplings are more typical of north Chinese cuisine, while fish, rice, pork and vegetables are more common in the south.

Muslim

Some recipes in Yinshan Zhengyao are similar to recipes from medieval Arabic cookbooks. Scholars have proposed a possible West to East diffusion of the cookbook. Of the extant cookbooks, the Arab texts are the earliest and the similarity of Yinshan Zhengyao along with the timing of its compilation after the Mongol conquests may support a West to East diffusion or direct influence upon the Yinshan Zhengyao content, but there is no way to rule out the possibility of an independent Chinese origin.[8] Lactic acid fermentation was used to preserve dairy products like the dried yogurt called kashk in Iran and qimaq in the Yinshan Zhengyao.

Features

The

manti, or dried for winter (borts).[1] The Mongolian diet includes a large proportion of animal fat which is necessary for the Mongols to withstand the cold winters and their hard work. Winter temperatures are as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) and outdoor work requires sufficient energy reserves. Milk and cream are used to make a variety of beverages, as well as cheese and similar products.[9]

The nomads in the countryside are self-supporting on principle. Travelers will find

dry animal dung fuel
(argal).

Common foods

The most common rural dish is cooked

manti), or deep fried in mutton fat (khuushuur). Other dishes combine the meat with rice or fresh noodles made into various stews (tsuivan, budaatai khuurga) or noodle soups (guriltai shöl). Sülen is a type of hot pot dish. Gambir (Mongolian: гамбир, pronounced [ɢæmʲbʲĭɾ]
) is a flatbread that is commonly made from flour and ghee, served on its own or with sugar.

  • Khorkhog
    Khorkhog
  • Boiled meat and innards; the most common meal in a herder's household
    Boiled meat and innards; the most common meal in a herder's household
  • Two kinds of dumplings: Buuz (top left) and Khuushuur (lower right)
    Two kinds of dumplings: Buuz (top left) and Khuushuur (lower right)
  • Another Buuz variant
    Another Buuz variant
  • Khorkhog
    Khorkhog
  • Boodog
    Boodog

The most surprising cooking 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. This either happens with chunks of mutton in a sealed milk can (khorkhog), or within the abdominal cavity of a deboned goat or marmot (boodog).

Milk is boiled to separate the cream (öröm,

mare's milk.[9] A popular cereal is barley, which is fried and malted. The resulting flour (arvain guril) is eaten as a porridge in milk fat and sugar or drunk mixed in milky tea. The everyday beverage is salted milk tea (süütei tsai), which may turn into a robust soup by adding rice, meat, or bansh. As a result of the Russian influence during socialism, vodka has also gained some popularity[9]
with a surprising number of local brands (usually grain spirits). Boortsog or bawïrsaq is a type of fried dough food found in the cuisines of Central Asia, Idel-Ural, Mongolia and the Middle East. It is shaped into either triangles or sometimes spheres. The dough consists of flour, yeast, milk, eggs, margarine, salt, sugar, and fat.

  • Süütei Tsai, salted milk tea
    Süütei Tsai, salted milk tea
  • Three large stones removing excess liquid from a cheese, Khövsgöl Province
    Three large stones removing excess liquid from a cheese, Khövsgöl Province
  • A glass of airag in front of the plastic barrel used to make it
    A glass of airag in front of the plastic barrel used to make it
  • Leather pouch used for fermenting airag the traditional way
    Leather pouch used for fermenting airag the traditional way
  • Various types of Mongolian sour milk sweets
    Various types of Mongolian sour milk sweets
  • Aaruul in the process of drying on top of a ger
    Aaruul in the process of drying on top of a ger
  • Aaruul in a serving bowl
    Aaruul in a serving bowl
  • Boortsog type of fried dough
    Boortsog type of fried dough

Horse meat is eaten in Mongolia and can be found in most grocery stores.

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

Chinggis vodka (named for Genghis Khan) is the most popular brand, making up 30% of the distilled spirits market.[10]

Custom of hospitality

The Mongol people had rules of hospitality and social support similar to the Germanic Gastfreundschaft (where it was customary to extend hospitality even to enemies) and Arab Bedouin hospitality. An account of this survives in the Secret History of the Mongols:

After that, when Dobun-mergen one day went to hunt on Toqocaq Rise, he encountered Uriangqadai people in the forest. They had killed a three year old deer and were cooking its ribs and intestines. When Dobun-mergen spoke he said: "Please give me (some meat) as the share of meat due another (nökör sirolqa ke'ejü'ü)." Taking [only] half a breast side of the meat with the lungs, and the hide, they gave all (the rest of the) three year old deer's meat to Dobun-mergen.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuisine of Mongolia.

References

  1. ^ a b c Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2007, p. 268
  2. ^ Buell, 1
  3. ^ Buell, 15–25
  4. ^ Buell, 27
  5. ^ Buell, 86k
  6. ^ Buell, 29–35
  7. ^ Buell, 37
  8. ^ Buell, 78
  9. ^ a b c d Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2007, p. 269
  10. ^ "CHINGGIS Vodka". www.behindcity.com. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
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