The secrets of Mongolian brewing... and other stuff

[TimT]

So my mother in law is giving a presentation on all things Mongolia soon, and in an effort to help her we've all hit the books and found a number of weird-ass (or yak, or goat) Mongolian ferments.

Mongolian cheese! There's Aaruul, milk that's been left to curdle naturally, then left out in the sun to dry. Byaslag - curdled with kefir, not rennet (and thus containing yeast). Again left to dry in the sun. (Can't walk into a shop in this country and say 'I would like Byaslag', can you? Oh wait....)

But what really gets me are the brews. They're all made of milk too! There's Kumis, which sounds mostly like a lacto-ferment. And then there's Arkhi, which seems to be essentially a distillation - from the run off, apparently, they make Aaruul. Though not that I'm going to mention that , because, being a distillation, it's something we don't mention on this site. Don't mention it.

It all sounds incredibly cool. Has anyone made Kumis? Taken a sup of the Arkhi? Actually, I'm kind of interested in doing one of the cheeses.

In conclusion, the end.

 

[djar007]

Can you share any of the mares milk alcohols. A personal interest. Would be interested to learn the process.

Edit: I have a book one Kafir and some interesting recipes. Will post a couple to this thread when I dig it out. Great stuff for the lactose tolerant drinker.

 

[TimT]

Check out the links - it's all I know.

Kumis sounds like a fairly simple affair. According to wikipedia it is alcoholic which would indicate the presence of yeast (presumably as part of a Scoby - they don't discuss what cultures are active in the wikipedia article).

 

[TimT]

So basically to make kumis I assume you just add the starter and let it do its thing, presumably in a room with the right temp/at the right time of year.

 

[mr_wibble]

The wild yeast might come off the horse

I wonder how it ferments before going rancid / yoghurt / cheese.

 

[NewtownClown]

I fermented a beer with whey left over from yoghurt making late last december and kegged last week. Very yum!

 

[TimT]

Yep I've done a few beers with added whey. Good way of getting the lactose sweetness in, and of changing the pH of the water if necessary because of the gentle acidity of fermented milk (lactic acid). I have plans for more this year, using greater portions of whey this time. Be interested on folk's views on adding whey during the mashing.

 

[TimT]

There are a few traditional yeast cultures that seem to live in milk products. Not just kefir. Villii in Finland traditionally had yeast, and of course kumis.

Makes me wonder: what sugars are there in milk to interest the yeast? Are they by-products of the fermentation, lactose molecules that have broken down and become fermentable?

 

[Airgead]

When we think milk we think lactose which is of course unfermentable (by brewing yeast anyway). Lactose is the main sugar (average 40% of the carbohydrate content... depending on a bunch of stuff) in milk but it isn't the only one. Milk also contains glucose and galactose plus some others as well.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Golani51]

I do have a technical book on Himalayan fermented foods if you are bored enough.

 

[TimT]

Ha! I'd be willing to become bored if necessary. How technical are we talking?

 

[Hintadupfing]

I made Koumis, oh, about 20 years ago. Mine was alright, but nowhere near as good as the stuff I tried at ... a market somewhere in NSW? Too long ago. Can't remember. I should probably make it again, just to be sure...

 

[Golani51]

Sorry. Just realised I had this reply to the post.
PM me an email address and I will forward it to you.

R