Try These Foods When You Visit Mongolia

Much of Mongolia’s food, just like its people, stays mysterious to the outside world. It has been misunderstood, mainly because of how it is depicted in the world of commercial food.

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Mongolian food tends to turn to simple, heartfelt meals. They want to use the ingredients they have. The Mongolian bowls and barbecues you find so fascinating in shops are not Mongolian in origin, but Taiwanese in fact. There is not much vegetation in their meals, as mostly meat-eating individuals are Mongols.

This may be because of their nomadic ways, moving from location to location, so that their livestock (their primary source of sustenance) could migrate with them as well. If you’re visiting Mongolia, follow this food guide to enjoy your food trip with the locals.

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Experience Mongolia by tasting their unique foods. Photo credits to: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/did-you-know-mongolian-nomadism-along-silk-roads.

Buuz – Mongolian Dumplings

Buuz is considered a national food in Mongolia. Photo credits to: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/205406432985717447/?lp=true.

Buuz is known as a common food in Mongolia, and it is a traditional Mongolian dumpling. Expect to fill them with meat from the floor, just meat–beef or sheep. They are dense and more massive than the dumplings we usually see on a dim sum menu. The meat inside might be almost anything depending on what the roadhouse has at the time.

Mutton is typical, but you can also expect the fillings to be goat, yak, or even camel meat. They are often ordered by hand, so after ordering, you can wait 30 minutes or more to get your steaming warm Buuz. You can find this dish in almost all roadhouses in Mongolia.

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Tsuivan – Fried Noodle with Mutton

This dish uses different types of meat found in Mongolia. Photo credits to: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/412923859581092498/.

The Tsuivan in Mongolian cuisine exhibits an efficient, one-pot nomadic cooking method: first, the stew is ready, and then the special noodles are cooked directly on top. This technique infuse the noodles with the broth’s rich flavors.

Mutton is traditionally used, but other kinds of meat like beef or pork are also used. We like cooking with excellent beef quality. Mongolians believe that fat meat is of more exceptional quality.

Dried Cheese Biscuit

The dried cheese biscuit is a common snack in Mongolia. Photo credits to: https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2014/06/09/Mongolian-dairy-probiotics-may-alleviate-allergies-Mouse-study.

This biscuit is produced of drained, sour milk left to dry outside and then served as a kind of dessert or snack. It’s acidic and salty, and it’s one of those ingredients you have to eat to really appreciate. But it remains really well, and this Mongolian food is crucial for survival in the harsh reality of living on the Mongolian steppe.

You can buy dried cheese biscuits in almost all local stores in Mongolia. It’s a real treat you absolutely must try when visiting Mongolia!

Boortsog

Boortsog is also known as Mongolian Butter Cookies. Photo credits to: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/319896379782682665/.

Boortsog is a deep-fried dough considered a Mongolian dessert. It’s semi-hard when it’s fresh, but by the moment it’s completely cold and served up a day or two, you can taste its unique flavors. It is also called Mongolian Cookies. It is best to soften it in milk tea, or with some of the fresh cream.

It is shaped into either triangle or sometimes sphere shapes. The dough consists of flour, yeast, milk, eggs, margarine, salt, sugar, and fat. You can buy these Mongolian cookies or Boortsog in the local stores and restaurants.

Mutton Kebabs

Mutton Kebab is usually paired with noodles in Mongolia. Photo credits to: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/cheats-mongolian-lamb-kebabs-spring-onions/hamckre5.

Mutton kebabs are regarded as the authentic Mongolian barbecue, with a mutton skewer and very heavy layers of sheer salted fat, which is what mainly adds to the dish’s flavour. You will also discover a few skewered vegetables, such as potatoes.

In celebrations like Naadam, when wrestling or archery matches take place, protein is the ingredient that is most required. However, most restaurants won’t serve them. Most of the remainder of the year, they are discovered in small food stalls around the town.

Khuushur

Khuushur is also said to be healing. Photo credits to: http://mongolianrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/09/mongolian-recipe-hushuur.html.

Khuushur, one of the most popular dishes in Mongolia, may have been mainly affected by Russian cuisine. Khuushur is a pastry or dumpling meat. Mongolian cuisine does not really use a lot of vegetables, so mostly meat is a traditional khuushur.

The meat is put inside a dough pocket, then it’s fried in oil until golden brown. Khuushur is mostly food for the finger and should be consumed by the side with good reason. Apart from just being one of Mongolia’s more iconic food items, Khuushur is also said to be healing, by stimulating the blood circulation in the hands.

Conclusion

Food found in Mongolia is linked to the nomadic traditions of the country and is also affected by food from Russia, China, and other nations in Central Asia. Boiled mutton, Tibetan-style dumplings, and tea mixed with sheep, cow, camel, or horse milk are the staples of the Mongolian diet.

Mongolian cuisine today embarks its reputation around the world as one of the most unique foods in the world. When you visit Mongolia, don’t miss the chance to grab these food delights!

If you are looking for more food guides in Asia, click here.