Fermented horse milk in Mongolia probably takes the [sour] cake!
Airag is horse milk that is fermented by nomads each summer. It is hung in leather bags by their doors so they can give it a little shake every time they go by. Typically, it's fermented for only a few days, which gives it a 1-2% alcohol content (like a horse milk kombucha!); if it ferments longer, it gets stronger–both in taste and alcohol! It tastes like kefir or thin yogurt but, you know, with a little horsey kick.
In Mongolia, I've also had homemade vodka that was distilled from yogurt, made right in front of me by a professional granny and her 4-year-old assistant granddaughter!
Lots of creative uses for all types of milk on the Steppe!
Fermented horse milk in Mongolia probably takes the [sour] cake!
Airag is horse milk that is fermented by nomads each summer. It is hung in leather bags by their doors so they can give it a little shake every time they go by. Typically, it's fermented for only a few days, which gives it a 1-2% alcohol content (like a horse milk kombucha!); if it ferments longer, it gets stronger–both in taste and alcohol! It tastes like kefir or thin yogurt but, you know, with a little horsey kick.
In Mongolia, I've also had homemade vodka that was distilled from yogurt, made right in front of me by a professional granny and her 4-year-old assistant granddaughter!
Lots of creative uses for all types of milk on the Steppe!