Nomad Staple · Fermented Mare's Milk
Airag
Photo: Brücke-Osteuropa / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
It's naturally carbonated and mildly alcoholic — nomads churn it in leather bags thousands of times a day to keep it fermenting.
Airag is raw mare's milk fermented for a day or more until it turns tangy, fizzy, and faintly boozy (around 2-3% ABV). Herding families churn it constantly in a wooden bag or barrel, then serve it in bowls to any visitor who passes by, especially across the summer months when mares are lactating.
Why it's made this way: For centuries it's been a core part of the nomadic Mongolian diet on the steppe, where dairy from horses, not grain or grape, became the basis of the local fermented drink.
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