Food in Mongolia. The best 7 dishes

Table of Contents

Food in Mongolia is distinguished between two seasons. Some traditional summer dishes and winter dishes. Learn more about the culinary cuisine of Mongolia and a taste explosion to bake at home. 

Food In Mongolia

The sheep is one of the most common animals in Mongolia. Thus, the sheep provides dairy products, meat and even material for clothing and tools. However, due to the main meat consumption of the sheep, Mongolian cuisine is also not very nutritious. Still, you should know what traditional dishes you will encounter on your Mongolian adventure. The cuisine is divided into summer dishes and winter dishes. In the summer, dairy products and fruits are often eaten, and in the winter, meat tends to be eaten because it can be easily frozen. 

Buuz 

Buuz are traditional dumplings filled with meat. The meat is mostly mutton or beef. Seasoning is usually onions, a little garlic, salt and pepper and herbs. 

The dumplings are then steamed and served with bread, salad or various dips. Mongolians pay a lot of attention to eating habits and often people eat with a knife, fork and spoon. Except Buuz. The dish is traditionally eaten with the hands.  

Tsvivan

This dish, for once, is not made from a full-grown domestic sheep, but from a lamb. Even if the consumption of lamb in Germany is not strongly developed due to the myth that the meat tastes harsh and tart, it can be confirmed that the lamb meat tastes wonderfully spicy, but also tender. 

Tsvivian is fried or boiled. It is often accompanied by noodles made from wheat flour, sweet potato flour or rice flour. 

However, on your adventure through Mongolia, you may find yourself with cabbage, onions, and some sort of red bell pepper dressing!

Aaruul 

Aaruul is rather a snack that is often snacked in Mongolia. This is cooked in the yurt, a kind of Mongolian tent, in the middle of the stove located here. Translated, aaruul is a milk rennet that has been dried by the sun. You can think of aaruul as cheese or yogurt that activates the side edges of your tongue with a somewhat sour taste. 

Chanasan makh 

The dish is often prepared due to its simple preparation. Chanasan makh is very high in calories but still a must-have on your Mongolia trip. This is cooked pieces of lamb. There is traditionally no side dish, but if you wish, Chanasan makh can be served with potatoes and again, you will have the chance to taste Mongolian cuisine to the fullest with your hands. 

Khorhog or also called Horhog 

3 words that describe this traditional favorite dish of Mongolians: 

Delicious, juicy and delicious again! 

The traditional favorite dish of the Mongolians consists of lamb, carrots and potatoes. A real and genuine Mongolian BBQ, which is suitable for every adventurer due to its little to hardly existing spice, or rather sharpness. 

Drinking in Mongolia

A milk tea is often drunk in Mongolia. This is a red tea with a little milk. A second absolute favorite drink is airag. A fermented mare's milk, but absolutely recommended! Also, Mongolia is known for its consumption of vodka. There is no restaurant or family where you won't find vodka. 

Nomschka 

Of course, the classic dessert should not be missing on your adventure through Mongolia. So why not try nomshka? Nomshka are crispy, sticky caramel cakes, like muffins. 

The taste explosion for home

To get you started on the taste of this deliciousness, here's a quick recipe on how you can already try Nomshka AT HOME: 

You will need: 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, 250g of soft butter and 500g of wheat flour. 

The steps to the finished product: put 1 of 2 cans of condensed milk in a pot of water. Caution. The water should cover about half of the condensed milk can. Then let the condensed milk simmer gently for about 2 hours. After 1 hour, turn the can over once so that all sides of the can are engaged. 

Once the first condensed milk is simmering in the water bath, you can prepare the dough. To do this, take the second can of condensed milk, the flour and the butter and knead these components into a shiny and smooth dough. 

Now you should shape the dough into small worms and bake in the oven at 180 degrees convection. Baking usually takes about 12-15 minutes. After these 12-15 minutes you should let the cookies cool down first to avoid any heat injury. After cooling, take the caramel sauce out of the water bath, pour it into a container of your choice and mix the mixture together with the cookies. 

Now it must go quickly: The caramel mixture should now be placed in a suitable mold. Paper cupcake molds are recommended for this purpose. Depending on what kind of sweet tooth you are, fill 2 tablespoons into the mold. Finally, let cool and as soon as the Nomschka are cooled down, you can bite into your crispy, Mongolian dessert and be happy about your Adventure inform, or on Instagram be on the lookout for more goodies!

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