Khorkhog
Mutton cooked with red-hot stones in a sealed pot, the summer camp feast.
Food
Mongolian food & drink
Fatty meat in winter, dairy in summer: nomadic eating follows the seasons. Ceremonial dishes, dairy, everyday food and drinks.
Winter · Autumn
Red food (meat)
At –30°C the body needs calories. Animals are slaughtered fat in autumn and the winter store is laid down: mutton, fat, uuts, buuz, banshtai tsai.
Summer · Spring
White food (dairy)
Animals calve and milk is abundant. Airag, yoghurt, cream and aaruul cleanse the body while winter stores of butter and dried curd are made.
Ceremonial dishes
Boodog
Goat or marmot cooked from the inside with hot stones, in its own skin.
Uuts (the ceremonial back)
The whole sheep's back set out as the centrepiece of Tsagaan Sar.
Dairy (tsagaan idee)
Airag
Fermented mare's milk, the national drink of the steppe.
Aaruul
Sun-dried curd, the nomads' portable food.
Eezgii
Milk cooked down until it caramelises into sweet dry grains.
Öröm
Thick clotted cream skimmed from boiled milk.
Shar tos (clarified butter)
Butter clarified from cream, stored for winter.
Everyday food
Buuz
Steamed meat dumplings, the heart of Tsagaan Sar and an everyday favourite.
Khuushuur
Deep-fried meat pastry, the food of Naadam.
Banshtai tsai
Small dumplings cooked in salty milk tea, a warming winter dish.
Drinks
Shimiin arkhi (milk vodka)
Distilled from yoghurt, 10 to 15% alcohol.
Suutei tsai (milk tea)
Salted milk tea, how every day begins.
Where to eat real Mongolian food in Ulaanbaatar
Modern Nomads
Baga toiruu, Sükhbaatar district · National cuisine chain; khorkhog on order.
Average price35,000 ₮Mongolians
Chinggis Avenue · Mongolian dishes with modern plating.
Average price30,000 ₮- Average price12,000 ₮
Altan Gadas
Zaisan · Ger restaurant; order khorkhog or boodog a day ahead.
Average price40,000 ₮
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Mongolia Food & Drink
Khorkhog, traditional cuisine, milk vodka, aaruul and airag.
Khorkhog: Mongolian BBQ
Khorkhog, Mongolian BBQ: how meat is cooked with hot stones in a sealed churn, why the stones are passed around, how it differs from boodog and where to try it.
Traditional Mongolian Cuisine
Traditional Mongolian cuisine explained: red food and white food, buuz, khuushuur, tsuivan, boodog and salty milk tea, plus tips for eating in Mongolia.
Mongolian Milk Vodka
Mongolian milk vodka, shimiin arkhi, explained: how herders distil it from fermented milk, its strength, the arz and khorz grades, and drinking etiquette.
Aaruul: Dried Curds
Aaruul, Mongolian dried curds: how herders make and sun-dry this hard, tangy dairy snack, its types, how to eat it, and tips on buying and carrying it home.
Airag: Fermented Mare's Milk
Airag, fermented mare's milk: how Mongolian herders make it in a leather khokhuur, its taste and alcohol level, customs and tips for first-time drinkers.