Characteristic products
Scorching summers and particularly cold winters, combined with modest rainfall, make agriculture in Mongolia very uncertain and limited. Corn, wheat, barley and potatoes are the main crops of importance, to which are added cabbage, soybeans, cucumbers, beans, peas, carrots, onions, etc., especially along the oases and humid valleys, not forgetting a few fruits such as watermelons, apples, melons and red fruits.
The main livestock in Mongolia include sheep, goats, cattle, horses, camels and pigs. Until recently, livestock farming was the country's main economic activity. These animals are raised primarily for their meat, although goats are prized for their wool. Sheep fat is a highly prized food, often offered to guests. So don't be too surprised if you're handed a large piece of fat, while Mongolians will "settle" for meat.
Dairy products are an important part of the Mongolian diet.Orom is made from the cream that forms on the surface of boiled milk. It is eaten on bread, sprinkled with sugar.Aaruul is a dried cheese often seen sunning itself on yurt roofs in summer. It has a distinctive acidic taste and is served in small bowls alongside sweets. Khuruud is a more "classic" cheese that is also dried. Tarag is a fresh cheese made from yak or cow's milk, similar to yoghurt with a sour taste. Finally,airag - known as koumis in the rest of Central Asia - is a slightly alcoholic, fermented mare's (sometimes camel's) milk-based preparation with a very pronounced taste. Mongolians are very fond of it.
When it comes to restaurants and eating habits, you'll find both Mongolian and foreign specialties in the capital. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Indian restaurants are increasingly common. In summer, many terraces fill the streets of Ulaanbaatar, and it's possible to enjoy delicious kebabs for a very reasonable price. Numerous small restaurants offer the full range of traditional dishes that can be eaten on the run. These guanz (taverns/canteens) are generally the only places to eat outside the capital. As Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world, it's a good idea to have some reserves in the open country, as it's common not to come across a village for dozens of kilometers.
Mongolia is definitely not a destination for vegetarians. The diet consists almost exclusively of meat, and vegetables and fruit are hard to come by. In restaurants, vegetarian dishes are rare, although things are changing a little in Ulan Bator. This leaves only three options for vegetarians: resign yourself to eating meat during your stay, or plan to buy in advance from the markets. But this isn't always easy, as outside the summer months, imported fruit and vegetables are rare and quite expensive in Mongolia. It's also a good idea to pack a few extras in your luggage: freeze-dried soups, energy bars, etc.
The classics of Mongolian cuisine
One of the country's most popular dishes, buuz, can be found everywhere, and is sometimes the only dish on the menu in small country restaurants. The filling is a mixture of mutton with fat and onion. Its fried variant is khuushuur, a mutton fritter, which is also very popular. Fish ravioli can be found near lakes. Mutton soups with vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.) and noodles(guriltai shul) form the basis of the diet of nomadic families. Noodles can also be sautéed, always accompanied by small pieces of mutton(tsuivan).
Boodog is a recipe prepared using an astonishing cooking technique based on hot stones. This dish is mostly made for traditional celebrations or when Mongolian families receive important guests, as its preparation is quite complex. A marmot - or sometimes a goat or sheep - is skinned and boned, and the skin is sewn back together to form a sort of pouch. Hot stones are then inserted to cook the meat from the inside. The whole thing is placed in a large container with water, and the meat is left to simmer on the fire for a long time. Once the pieces of meat are out of the container, it's customary to grab a burning stone with both hands, and pass it quickly from one to the other to avoid burning oneself. Mongolians say that this action brings good luck and is also good for the health. The meat is then eaten with a knife and your fingers.
Quite similar, but slightly less complex, khorkhog consists of pieces of lamb or goat placed in a pot with vegetables and heated stones. The stones will turn black from the heat and fat they absorb from the lamb, and as with boodog, it's customary to pass the stones from hand to hand after cooking. Although very popular, khorkhog is a family dish, very rarely served in restaurants.
It's hard to say exactly who invented fondue: the Chinese or the Mongols. What is certain is that the dish - which has many variations in China - was popularized in the 17th century by the Manchu Qing dynasty, which was culturally close to the Mongols. Mongolian fondue" - sometimes called "Pekinese fondue" in China - consists of a herb-rich soup in which a few vegetables are simmered. Thin strips of mutton or lamb are dipped into the soup and cooked instantly. Delicious, it's actually quite rare outside city restaurants.
As part of their Soviet heritage, Mongolians eat a lot of goulash, a meat stew of Hungarian origin that was transported to Central Asia under the USSR. Traditionally prepared with beef, here it's replaced by mutton, simmered with lots of onion and paprika. For winter or long journeys across the steppe, Mongolians are great fans of borts, a dried meat that can be eaten as is or in a soup.
The Tsagaan Sar, or Mongolian New Year, is a major period in the daily lives of the locals. Its date, based on the rhythm of the moon, is random but often corresponds to the Chinese New Year. Each family prepares hundreds of buuz several days in advance, a tradition similar to the consumption of jiaozi - steamed dumplings - in northern China at the same time. A large quantity of meat is also eaten, usually mutton, always with its own fat.
Desserts and drinks
When it comes to sweets, the Tsagaan Sar table will feature a kind of pièce montée, the shiniin idee, made up of an odd number of layers of saddle cakes or ul boov, covered with sweets. The "sock cake" - sometimes also called kheviin boov - is eaten during the Mongolian New Year and for funeral rites. Made with flour, sugar, salt, eggs and mutton fat, it takes on an elongated shape, and is stamped with a decorative imprint in the center. Another sweet, boortsog is a type of doughnut.
Tea, unsurprisingly, takes center stage here. Milk tea(tsai) flows freely and is offered almost automatically as a welcome. The subtlety of Mongolian tea probably lies in the aeration of the beverage. As the water begins to simmer, the tea is added, then the milk and a little salt are gently stirred in. This makes the tea even stronger. The amount of milk should be the same as the amount of water. Once the milk has been poured in, turn off the heat and "aerate" the beverage. Mongolians even like to melt a little butter in it. This is a very rich drink, given the rigors of the local climate. You can also drink tea made from yak or sheep's milk. Coffee lovers will be less delighted. Most hotels offer freeze-dried coffee. Only a few addresses in Ulaanbaatar and Kharkhorin offer quality coffee. Often, it is served with milk without even having been requested; so please be precise.
With its Russian influence, vodka is king here. A whole ritual accompanies its tasting, especially when it is offered as a welcome by nomadic populations. Vodka is served in a glass or bowl that is passed from host to guest. It is then taken with the right hand, placing the left hand under the elbow of the right arm. You take a sip, then pass it to your neighbor on the left, so that the glass continues to circulate in a clockwise direction. The first time the glass is passed, each person dips his or her right ring finger into the vodka three times, sending one drop into the air for the sky, another to the ground for the earth, and then the last drop straight ahead. The most daring can drink it straight down. Chinggis - Genghis - vodka accounts for almost 30% of the spirits market in Mongolia, and has won numerous international awards.
In recent years, beer has continued to win over a wider and wider audience. Visitors to Ulaanbaatar will be surprised by the large number of English pubs. Japanese, European and Chinese beers land easily in Mongolia. National beers have also emerged. These include Chinggis, Borgio, Senguur, Khan Brau and Fusion.
