MONGOLIAN

CUISINE
History Of Mongolian Cuisine
• Mongolian cuisine can be found in China's Mongol Autonomous
Region of Inner Mongolia and in other northern Chinese provinces, as
far east as Beijing. Mongolian cuisine is mainly derived from the
traditions of ethnic Mongols. It is a blend of their nomadic diet and
influences from northern China and Russia.
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.

boortsog cookies,
aaruul (dried curds) Khorkhog
, and ul boov cakes
Various Mongolian
meat dishes
Traditional and Practices in Preparation of
their food
The Mongolians' nomadic way of life determined their diet, which
traditionally consisted mainly of the meat, milk and other dairy products
provided by the livestock which they tended. This included mutton, beef
and goat, as well as milk and other dairy products from cattle and goats.
Mongolians have traditionally not eaten bread, vegetables or fruit but
most eat these things now. Some Mongols still refuse to eat vegetables
“for health reasons”. But more have become so far removed from their
traditional nomad diet, they eat the same foods as Chinese. Bread is
often prepared in special ovens.
The extreme continental climate of Mongolia 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.
Mongolian Cuisine

Dairy products are important dietary items for

Mongolians. “They refer to dairy products as
white foods and meat products or animal flesh
as red foods. Raw materials for white foods
include milk from cows, horses, sheep, goats,
camels, and reindeer; with horse milk
considered having the highest of nutrients.
Cow's milk is quite popular, considered healthy,
too, and used for a variety of products.”
In the summer milk products rule. In the winter, dried
meat has traditionally been the staple. In addition to
mutton, all parts of the sheep, including the heart,
intestines, kidneys, eyeballs, brains, head and tail, are
eaten. The sheep’s head is regarded as a delicacy.
Chicken and pork are not eaten much. Mongolians
generally don’t eat horse meat (Kazakhs eat horse
sausage though) but eat beef and goat meat. Horse
jerky is marketed as a pet food. Camel meat is eaten in
some places. Russian dishes such Russian Salisbury
steak continue to endure in hotel restaurants.
Mongolian Eating Habit
Lots of livestock is raised in Mongolia. This includes
but is not limited to wild horse, sheep, goat, cow,
and camel. Though all of these animals are
available, Mongolians do not eat much beef, pork or
horse meat. The most popular meats consumed are
goat and sheep. Lamb is barbecued whole or is
grilled or boiled in smaller pieces. Camel used to be
more popular, but with all too few of them now,
some regions forbid eating them. No matter the
meat, Mongolians roast, grill, smoke, and dry them
all and they adore eating them.
Mutton, soup and dumplings have traditionally been served at
all meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. A meal without them is
regarded as incomplete. Mongolians start their day with a light
breakfast between 7:30am and 8:30am. Lunch is served between
1:00pm and 2:00pm and usually consists of mutton, noodle soup
or dumplings. Meals on Sunday tend to be bigger and have
more dishes. Dinner is usually served between 6:30pm and
8:00pm, and typically revolve around some kind of mutton dish.
▪ A standard meal on a train is borscht, rice and a slice of
overcooked beef or stuffed peppers, boiled potatoes, a hard slab
of meat, zucchini, sweet rolls and tea. A typical meal in a ger
camp includes of cabbage salad, noodle soup, meat stew, rice ,
biscuits and beer. Picnic meals out on the steppe include corn
salad, noodle soup, beef and rice and orange desert. Fresh milk
and yoghurt is often purchased from herds in the area.
 Mongolian Diet
Mongolians have traditionally not eaten
bread, vegetables or fruit but most eat
these things now. Some Mongols still
refuse to eat vegetables “for health
reasons”. Bread and pastries were
adopted from the Russians and
incorporated into their own cooking
dishes made with milk and flour, meat
and flour grilled with sour cream and as
steamed meat pies made with sweet
dough.
Mongolian Diet
According to Chinese government: “The
traditional diet of Mongol consists mainly of milk
and meat, with grain taking the role of subsidiary
food. With the improvement of life condition, the
structure of diet is also changed
correspondingly--- the proportion of cereal food
and vegetable was much increased. Milk, meat
and cereal food shape a triangular balance of
power in the pasturing area. Half-farming-and-
half-pasturing area mainly rely on cereal food
with meat and milk as subsidiary. However, in the
pasturing area, meat and milk possess a much
larger proportion
According to Chinatravel.com: Today, the diet of
the Mongolians has been expanded to include
vegetables as well as pasta and rice, the former in
recognition of the sad fact that the traditional
Mongolian diet often leads to struma, or an
abnormally enlarged thyroid gland leading to a
"swollen" neck, a medical condition caused by
the lack of iodine in one's diet, and the latter in
order to provide a more carbohydrate-rich diet
and perhaps to supplement meat, which is not
always as plentiful as one might wish
 Nomad Food and Drink
Among herders the typical diet consist primarily of milk, milk
products, meat from the animals they herded, usually mutton, milk
teas, millet, airag (koumiss) and liquor. Milk products have
traditionally been consumed fresh in the summer and fall. Butter is
made from milk, skimmed of during boiling. The remaining milk is
fermented with a special yeast to make various kinds of cheeses
and yoghurt. Some milk are fermented and distilled into a special
kinds of vodka. After distillation the remaining curdled liquid is
mixed with flour, roots and bird cherries and frozen into a solid that
was consumed during the winters.

Buryats (a Mongolian group) eat the meat of all kinds of animals but
prefer mutton, except in the winter when they like to eat beef. Meat
is usually prepared in slightly salted water. The bouillon is used as a
flavoring for noodles or millet. Out on the steppe, sheep is boiled in
salt water over a stove fueled by cow dung. The Mongols break off
large chunks of sheep fat and pop in their mouths. Mutton liver,
preferably wrapped in stomach lining, is regarded as a delicacy.
Many animals are slaughtered in late autumn and the meat is frozen
so it can be eaten in the winter.
 Mongolian White Food
Milky food, which is called "Chagan Yide" in Mongol, is called of
"white food" in Chinese. It is usually made of the pure milk of horse,
cow, sheep or camel. It comes in a great variety and Mongolians
regard it as very tasty and rich in nutrition at the same time, saying it
has "good qualities of hundreds kinds of food". Regarded as the food
of daily life, served at feasts to guests and made as a religious
offering, Mongolian milky food and the ways of making it varies from
region to region but mostly consists of milk skin, cream, cheese and
milky bean curd.
Mongolian Eating Customs
Mongolians have traditionally not eaten with
chopsticks. They have generally used a spoon, fork or
knife or just their hands. Boiled meat is passed around
in a large communal bowl with a knife. People slice of
meat. The choicest pieces are the ones with the most
fat. These days in Inner Mongolia and elsewhere in
China, many Mongolians eat with chopsticks and
observe the same eating customs as Chinese.

"Stewed meat taken by hands" is a traditional way for

Mongolian people to eat meat. The way of making stewed
meat is: first, disembowel a fleshy and dedicate sheep, peel
off the skin and remove the internal organs as well as the
head and ungues. Then, cut the whole sheep into several
large pieces and put the meat into plain boiled water to
stew for a while. While the water is boiling and the meat is
thoroughly cooked, take the meat out and serve on the
desk with placing it in big plates.
Khuushuur - Хуушуур
Large filled pockets, fried or deep fried.

This recipe from Mongolia is one of three variations on filled pockets. The
ingredients for dough and filling of the Buuz are exactly the same as with
Khuushuur and Bansh, the differences are in the size, shape, and cooking
method.
Ingredients
Noodle Dough
250 g Flour
1.5 dl Water
Filling
300 g Minced meat Traditionally, mutton is used, other types of meat such as beef work just as well.
Mongolians consider fat meat to be of higher quality, but there's no problem in using western style lean meat.
Borts can also be used.
1 p. Onion Minced
2 p. Garlic cloves Minced
3-5 tblsp. Water
Salt
Pepper
Caraway
Öil For frying
RECIPES:
How to Cook

Prepare the Filling

Mix minced meat, onion and garlic.
Add water until the mass is smooth to work with.
Add enough salt and spices (the dough has no salt).

Prepare the dough

Mix flour and water to create a pliable dough. Let it rest for 15 min.
Cut the dough into 3 cm (1.2 in) thick slices, roll the slices.
Cut the rolls into pieces of 4 cm (1.6 in), flatten the pieces with a finger.
Form the pockets
The decorative design of the Khuushuur is a matter of
honor for the cook. At first, the result will probably
look a bit clumsy. Mongolian experts produce small
miracles in no time almost without looking.

*The pieces of dough are rolled into circles of about 10 cm (4

in) diameter, making the center slightly thicker than the edge.
It is best only to roll as many circles you can process further
within a few minutes. Forming the pockets will be more difficult
when the dough is already starting to get dry.

*Hold one circle the open hand (the left one for righties) and
place about one and a half tea spoon of the meat mass on one
half, so that some space along the edge is left free.

*Fold the circle in half with fingers and palm, so that the edges
meet over the meat.
•Connect the edges with the other hand:
• At the near end, press the two edges together.
• Alternatingly form a little loop of either edge,
and press it onto the already closed part with
a little offset.
• A seam is created that looks like braided from
the sides.
• When reaching the far end, close it by
pressing it together.
• Several variations are possible, like starting
from both ends, and let the "braids" meat in
the center.

•Alternative method: Press the edges flat together, closing the

pocket.
•Fold the near end to one side and press the end of the fold
flat.
•Fold again a little further down, creating a spiral shape.
•press the end of the new fold flat as well.
•Repeat until you reach the end
The Cooking
•The finished Khuushuur are fried in oil, not too dark.

•The head produces steam within the pockets, causing

some juice to drip out after a while, which will splash
around when hitting the hot oil. It is recommended to
cover the pan with a screen to keep the oil in.

•On the stove in the yurt, the Khuushuur are normally

deep fried in oil. Of course, a modern deep fryer serves
just as well.

Serving suggestions
The tradition mongolian cuisine knows very little
vegetable, so that the Khuushuur are considered a
complete meal (possibly with Ketchup or other
condiment). Served this way the quantities given are good
for 2 people.
When served with vegetables or other side dishes, the
quantities should easily feed 4 people.
Conclusion

Mongolia is the country for meat lovers. They eat meat almost
whole year due to the harsh weather condition which has
affected their traditional diet. Mongols mainly eat beef, mutton,
horse meat and goat meat. It is popular to them to eat horse
meat during the extremely cold Mongolian winter due to its low
cholesterol. Traditionally, people think horse meat helps them
warm up..
However, Mongols prefer not to eat meat at late or during the
summer. If you visit herder family, you will notice that they eat
dinner at around 5pm to 6pm and drink yogurt or boiled milk
before they go to sleep. Meat is mostly cooked or used in soups.
Spices and vegetables are not served often in the nomadic
family.
But now a days, families living in cities realize that eating too
much meat is unhealthy. But still now a days some of
Mongolians still doing their tradition cuisine.