Kumis

Kumis is alcoholic dairy product which made from mare milk. It is a traditional mongolian product that called "airag" among Mongols. This drink is popular with its white colour and sour taste.

History

Over five thousand years ago The Botai people of modern-day Kazakhstan tamed wild horses on the steppes of Central Asia. There, they fermented a beverage, kumis, from the milk of domesticated mares.  Kumis has been very popular during nomads for thousands of years because of mare milk's natural high sugar.

How to make kumis

Mongolian nomads simply churned raw  horse milk in vats, much like butter, until the milk acidified and yeasts produced alcoholic carbonation. People then transported the liquid in leather bags(khokhuur), often hanging them where they  could easily punch the sack to keep the kumis agitated. The more punch, the tastier.

Mongolians says in order to make good kumis, these 4 rules should be considered.

1.The weather is very important. It should be neither too hot or too cold. In the hot summer, foals go haywire, and even breeding mares is a big problem.

2. It depends on the vegetation and pastures that grow in the area. Plants eaten by horses and cattle are differ from region to region, kumis tastes different.

3.Since it has been brewed for hundreds of years , it shows that it has learned more methods and technologies then other places.

4. It depends on the assets and how it is fermented.

Features

Kumis contains almost all the vitamins needed for the health of the human body. Ferment is very rich in vitamins A, C and B. There is a norm that an adult needs 1 mg of vitamin A, 0.002 mg of vitamin D, 50-75 mg of vitamin C, 2-3 mg of vitamin B, 20 mg of vitamin PP per day. 1 liter of fermented milk contains 0.3-0.4 mg of vitamin A, 95-100 mg of vitamin C, and 100-200 mg of ascorbic acid. Kumis is a product rich in vitamin D. Vitamin E, a breeding vitamin, is 0.65-1.05 mg per 1 liter. Kumis contains B vitamins.

Kumis is superior to cow's milk in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, cobalt and copper. Kumis inhibits the growth and reproduction of putrefactive bacteria, Escherichia coli, staphylococci, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, and typhoid, stops the decay process in the intestine, and maintains the pH of the intestine in an acidic environment

Culture in mongolia

Airag(kumis) is traditional food culture of Mongolians, Soju is celebrated in Korea, sake is celebrated in Japan, beer is celebrated in Germany, Poland and Czech republic. This is cultural heritage of the country, so it s sign of preserving the traditions. For Mongolians like this, it is considered a tradition to honor the food and drink handed down from their fathers and ancients. Airag is just liquid drink during summer, but in the fall it reaches level of wine or beer. In other words, it is beverage of people's celebration.