The Mongolian cuisine was greatly influenced by cattle breeding, which from ancient times was occupied by the peoples inhabiting the territory of the country. Therefore, Mongolian dishes are mainly made on the basis of meat and milk. In this regard, the diet of the inhabitants is quite diverse. They eat all kinds of meat products. Mongolian cuisine offers a wide variety of meats. The food is beef, lamb, horse meat, goat meat, sarlyk meat (yaks), etc.
Main features of cooking
In order to preserve the nutrients in the product, it is not brought to condition, that is, the meat is left damp. The Mongols traditionally eat a lot of soups. They hardly eat fried foods. This feature has developed historically. There is simply nothing to fry in the steppe. Therefore, all dishes were steamed or cooked. Most often, the meat was smoked and dried. Another interesting way of cooking: narrow strips of meat were placed under the saddle. They salted in the evening, then they were eaten.
The national dish of the Mongols is khar-khokh - lamb according to a traditional recipe. This dish is usually prepared on holidays for guests, as the process of its preparation is long and laborious. Dishes of unsalted boiled lamb are popular among the local population. It is replaced with beef, horse meat, camel meat, saiga meat, etc. Very often the meat is simply dried in the wind, cutting it into thin strips. In this case, the meat is not pre-processed. Mongolian meat dishes are eaten without spices and side dishes. However, they take a long time to cook, since the meat is dried or cooked in large portions.
Mongolian cuisine traditions
Milk of various types is widespread among the population. They use goat, cow, mare, yach and camel milk. However, this product is rarely used in its pure form. Usually it is subjected to fermentation, receiving traditional food: tarak, bilag, arul, kumis, etc. Milk is processed with difficulty and for a long time. Mongols sometimes mix milk from different animals.
Mongolian cuisine has many original recipes. For example, bodog is goat meat baked in the stomach, bortsok is dough fried in animal fat. In addition to milk, residents use wheat and rice groats, garlic, root vegetables, cabbage and onions. Vegetables are not eaten raw, they are boiled and steamed. Bread is almost absent from the menu of the locals. At the same time, they use various bread products based on wheat flour. Many Mongolian dishes are complemented by pan-baked flat cakes.
Foam is a tasty dish according to the Mongolian. To prepare them, milk is boiled for a long time over low heat. Then it is cooled and a thick layer of foams is removed. They are laid out on a dish, dried and consumed with tea.
