Benefits of Mongolian aaruul

DAIRY WONDER

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Dairy is a healthy food option for the human body as it contains essential bacteria killers, unique calcium, and potassium protection for teeth. It is rich in minerals that are necessary for healthy teeth and has a strong quality. The quality and structure of the substances included in food, as well as the metabolism of the human body, affect the minerals present in the teeth. The tooth absorbs minerals directly from the salivary material through the enamel. Metabolism is fueled by a steady supply of metabolic re-minerals, and we know that when the teeth are healthy and strong, milk is an excellent source of these essential minerals.

Mongolians consider milk as sacred, and they use it for blessings on horses, vehicles, trains, and airplanes. Milk and milk products, along with meat, wheat, and vegetables, constitute staple foods in Mongolia. Mongolian nomads have developed a variety of unique dairy products over the years, including various types of yoghurt, cottage cheese, fermented dairy products, and dried curds. Dairy products are generally prepared during spring and summer months to last over the long winter. In rural areas, nomadic families prepare traditionally conserved dairy products for the customary winter diet of meat and milk. During summer, people, both rural and urban, consume up to ten liters of milk daily in the form of airag and hoormog, which are mildly alcoholic drinks fermented from mare's milk and camel milk, respectively. Airag and hoormog are not only pleasant drinks but also natural functional foods that restore the body after the long winter diet of meat and milk-based foods. Mongolians hate to waste any animal products, so they use a sheep's stomach for storing some kind of dairy products, especially cream, tsagaan tos, and shar tos for long winter.

Mare's milk is stirred 3000-5000 times to make airag, and the locals milk mares every two hours starting from 8 am. There is an old legend about the gods who created airag or kumis, a drink that would replace all other nourishment needed by humans. Kumis is a symbol of hospitality and friendly feelings for Mongols. To make tarag or thin yoghurt, boiled milk is heated until warm, mixed with a starter, stirred well, poured into a container, and left to ferment in a warm condition. If the surrounding air is cool, the container of fermenting yoghurt is left covered. Yoghurt is made from the milk of cows, sheep or goats, and it formed an important part of the summer diet, being consumed primarily in the evening. To make dried curds, around ten liters of yoghurt is boiled for 10-20 minutes and poured out into another pot. It is cooled for 3-4 hours, then poured out into a proper bag to decant, and sour curd is put under a heavy thing for 10-12 hours. After that, it is sliced thinly by thread and put on the plank on the Ger. Sugar and fruit can be added too.

Byaslag is a mild, unripened cheese produced on the basis of raw milk. The milk is heated over a gentle fire, and then a curdling agent such as whey or yoghurt is added gradually to the milk, causing it to separate. During this process, it is important to regulate the temperature of the milk and the quantity of curdling agent, as too much of the latter can produce a bitter-tasting cheese, while too little can result in the incomplete separation of the curd. Once the curd has properly formed, it is drained and wrapped tightly in a cloth or put into a cotton sack, then placed between two flat boards with a heavy weight over the top, and left until the remaining whey has been squeezed out. The resulting cheese is typically eaten with cream, but it is not generally consumed as part of the daily diet so much as when travelling, or as a food to be offered to visitors or set on the table during weddings and festivities. Clotted cream or urum is widely produced throughout Mongolia. It is produced by bringing cow, sheep, or goat milk to a boil, while continuously ladling up the liquid and pouring it back into the pot, causing the cream to separate from the milk and develop into froth. The pot is then set aside in a cool place until this foam solidifies, whereupon the pot is again heated slightly over a low fire; the clotted cream is then scraped away from the edges of the pot, folded, and removed. It can either be eaten fresh or placed on a board and dried or frozen, and the cream may also be gathered and stored in a special container.

Curds or aarts are obtained by pouring boiled yoghurt or tsagaa into a cloth sack and leaving it until the whey has dripped away. Aarts are the basic ingredient of aaruul and khuruud, but they can also be boiled in water to produce a hot beverage or used as flavorings in various foods. Aaruul or dry curds are produced by cutting drained Aarts with a string, then setting them to dry in the sun. To increase the flavor, texture, and fat content of the Aaruul, extra milk can be added to the tsagaa before it is boiled and filtered. The aaruul can also be sweetened with sugar and fruit. Worm or khorkhoi Aaruul is produced by pressing the milk curds through the holes of a wide-eyed sieve.