What is Mongolian Airag?
Mongolian Airag is a fermented milk beverage made from horse/mare milk through Mongolia or cow and mare milk in western Mongolia. This article includes some facts and experiential information about the horse milk Airag.
The Airag is the most famous traditional Mongolian beverage, extremely nutritious, slightly alcoholic, and contains many healthy bacteria, which strengthens the immune system apart from promoting digestion. Airag could substitute meals during warm months between mid-June and mid-September. Mongolians do not consume raw mare's milk unless you use its laxative effect for medicinal purposes.
How to make Airag? The Airag recipe
A traditional Airag recipe starts with milking mares. Filter all milk and pour it into a large cowhide sack (Khukhuur), wooden barrel, or a plastic container. In the mare milk-filled container, the fermentation process goes on with the combination of lactic acid bacteria and yeast. To ferment, we need to stir the Airag with a wooden masher (buluur), repeatedly 3000 to 5000 times over one or two days. The stirring makes sure that all parts of milk ferment equally.
Mongolian Airag season continues between mid-June and mid-September. Thus, nomads usually keep some amount of Airag as yeast from the previous autumn through the winter. Alternatively, could use yogurt as yeast, although, prefer well-fermented Airag as yeast. When a household in the community or the area ferments Airag, neighbors get the Airag yeast from that household and deliver it to each other. Not always available, but the most preferred Airag yeast is “Unaganii Zuult", a piece of earthen thing in a newborn foal mouth. When the Airag ferments, Mongolians daily drink from it, add fresh mare’s milk daily, and the daily stirring process continues.
What does horse milk Airag taste?
When ferments horse milk is naturally carbonated, a bit sweet and slightly sour drink. Depending on how it is fermented, the region, and the regional climate, horse milk Airag can range from mild to very sour. In warmer climate areas, the natural carbonation goes well, which is the favorite flavor for the Mongolians.
How to drink Airag?
Visiting nomads and drinking Airag from the source is the best way, although bottled Airags are available in supermarkets in Ulaanbaatar. The bottled and refrigerated Airag does not taste as good as the Airag in its fermentation sack. When offered Airag in a bowl, take it both hands, blow away if the Airag fat floats over it, and drink. If you do not feel like drinking Airag, it is fine to take a sip and return, as some people's stomach does not accept the unfamiliar Airag bacteria.
It is a tradition to use only one bowl for Airag drinking, passing it around the table as Airag bacteria and alcoholic content can kill infectious bacteria. Therefore, your Airag drinking turn comes when the previous person returns the bowl.
Horse milk Airag benefits
Airag is a potent source of vitamins and minerals and is suitable for lactose intolerant people when fermented well.
Airag contains 1.8 – 2.2 % protein and 1,5 – 2.2% fat. One liter of Airag contains Vitamin A 0.3 – 0.4mg, Vitamin C 95 – 100mg, Vitamin E 0.65 – 1.05mg, besides it is extremely rich in Vitamin D and minerals.
Airag alcohol content
Airag contains 0.5 to 2.5% of alcohol. It has a lower alcoholic content of 0.5 to 2% at the beginning. Through the summer, mares get fat and strong, coinciding with the natural grass feed quality improvement in autumn after the wet season. Thus, the Airag alcoholic content and nutrition increase to 2.5% or above depending on the region.