Mongolian food & drinks

Approximately twenty five million head of livestock supply the staples of the diet; meat and dairy products feature prominently in this cuisine. Mongolian cooking is generally very simple and does not use many spices, flavorings or sauces. Common dishes include steamed meat–filled dumplings ( buuz ), mutton soup with noodles ( guriltai shul ) and fried meat pasties ( huushuur ). One of the most tasty and exciting dishes in Mongolia is Khorkhog.  Khorkhog is made by cooking pieces of meat inside a container which also contains hot stones and water, and is also heated from the outside. Mongolians drink copious quantities of milk tea (suutei tsai ), which frequently contains salt and a generous spoonful of fresh or rancid butter. Food is an important element of the Mongolian hospitality tradition. When guests arrive, each household sets out a special hospitality bowl containing homemade cheeses, flour pastries ( boortsog ), sugar cubes and candy. Meat filled dumplings are traditionally served to guests. Vodka shots are served at regular intervals during ceremonies. Herders make their own unique home brewed airag, which is fermented mare’ milk with an alcolic content of about 3%. Many Mongolians distil it further to produce shimiin arkhi, where the alcohol content is boosted to around 12%.

However, in Ulaanbaatar, there are variety of Mongolian, Western and Asian cuisine restaurants available, serving food at reasonable prices. Vegeterian food is getting known and you can find menu in restaurants and tourist camps.