Cuisines of Mongolia

The Mongolian cuisine is overall characterized by simplicity. This fact was determined by the low number of the ingredients that are used when preparing Mongolian dishes. Also, the small variety of the ingredients is a consequence of the climatic conditions of the country. Because of the hard and long winters, Mongolians cannot crop many vegetables and their meals are mostly based on meats - mutton, marmot and horsemeat predominate.

The Mongolian cuisines does not differ much from one region to another, across the country. However, the dishes that are prepared in the Inner Mongolia are believed to be better than those who are cooked in the Northern part of the country.

Buuz is a traditional style of folded dumplings, shaped in hot oil.

Overview of Mongolian Cuisine History

The Mongolian cuisine is not one of the cuisines that is known world wide, and more than that, it has a bad reputation, because of the low number of ingredients that are used.

Most of the Mongolian dishes are based on mutton, yak milk and even horse milk. The mutton is either boiled, filled with various ingredients, stewed, cooked with oil and flour or prepared with noodles. It represents the national dish of Mongolia, but it is rarely appreciated by the tourists, because of its smell. Most of those who have visited Mongolia criticize the odor of this food for many weeks, after the visit has ended. However, this food helps the roaming Mongols to survive the cold climate of their country, during the winters. It contains fat and proteins, which are essential for this fact. In Mongolia, spices are used in low quantities and sometimes, the dishes may lack the condiments.

Besides yak and horse milk, there are other Mongolian beverages that are important. The dried milk curd is sometimes served along with mutton based dishes. The milk is also used to prepare the two best known Mongolian alcoholic drinks. Nermalike, is similar to vodka and it is extracted from yoghurt. Airag is prepared from horse milk, through fermentation. Also, non-alcoholic drinks are consumed in this country. The most important beverage of this kind is suutei tsai. This is a tea made from hot water, butter, rice, high quantities of salt, yak milk and tea. The Mongolians believe that this drink helps the digestion and they consume it before the meals.

In addition to the mutton dishes, one can choose foods based on horsemeat, which has a greater popularity in the Western parts of the country. Marmot is also consumed and the games that were organized in order to catch these animals have a long history. The vegetables are rarely used in the Mongolian dishes. The greens cannot be cropped, due to the cruel climatic conditions.

The Guanz are the places located in the main cities where foods are served. Here, the workers can eat foods at low prices. The Mongolians eat the most food at breakfast and at lunch. The dishes that are served at these meals are in the most cases the traditional foods.

Tsuivan: Hearty Noodle Stew

This is a noodle stew made with roughly cut noodles combined in a stock with meat, usually mutton, and vegetables. It is the Mongolian version of the noodle soup found throughout east Asia in various manifestations. Guriltai Shul is another variant in which the ingredients are made into a meat-based soup and is often combined with curd from yak’s milk. The consistency of the soup often depends on the season, as does the type of meat used and the spice level, which tends to rise as the bitterly cold winter sets in. This can be experienced at traditional Mongolian restaurants in Ulan Bator such as Taliin Mongol and CCCP, which both feature contemporary twists on simple Mongolian flavors.

Boodog: Marmot Barbecue

As with Khorkhog, Boodog is an example of Mongolian barbecue which also uses hot stones as a cooking method, but in this case the hot stones are not placed inside a pot but are actually inserted into the carcass itself. The dish is usually made with either a young goat or more often a marmot, which is stuffed with heated rocks and a variety of vegetables and spices. It is then simultaneously heated from the outside, either on a barbecue or with a blowtorch to ensure it is cooked through and to burn off the animal’s fur. The dish is another example of a more utilitarian nomadic lifestyle, in which cooking materials are not readily at hand and rocks and fire stand in for an oven. This dish can be experienced throughout Mongolia, although most Ulan Bator restaurants will often serve a more refined take on it. It is best experienced out on the steppe, where traditional cooking methods are preserved. The Terelj Lodge offers guests a chance to try Boodog in one of their Kazakh gers.

Buuz, Bansh and Khuushuur: Mongolian Dumplings

Dumplings are found on dinner tables throughout Mongolia and these small doughy packages of mutton or beef reveal the connection between this isolated country and their Chinese neighbors to the south. Mongolian dumplings are distinctly different from those found in Chinese Dim Sum, since they are made from a typically hardy dough and are often fried. Buuz is the general name for dumplings and gives its name to a wide variety of restaurants throughout Ulan Bator in which these boiled or steamed meat-filled dumplings are served. Bansh is a smaller version of these dumplings, whilst Khuushuur are deep fried in oil and are served like pancakes. One of the most popular restaurants serving Buuz is Ulan Bator’s Khaan Buuz, where all three varieties are on offer and are considered a version of Mongolian fast food.

Khorkhog: Authentic Mongolian Barbecue

Unfortunately, the popularity of an international chain of restaurants known as Mongolian 

Barbecue has distorted perceptions of цааш үзэх

Mongolian food since the barbecue served in these restaurants is actually Taiwanese (ironically, a branch has opened in Ulan Bator and was the first international chain to open in the country). Real Mongolian barbecue is known as khorkhog and is a staple across the vast reaches of this country. It is usually made with mutton, which is cooked inside a pot containing burning rocks heated in an open fire. Vegetables are added to make a stew and the flavors are left to blend for several hours. This is best enjoyed inside a ger, a Mongolian yurt, where the food is served communally. The tour group Nomadic Journeys offers visitors the opportunity to stay in gers as they travel across the steppes experiencing nomadic culture first hand.