The Mongolian diet is dictated by their way of life; it is high in dairy products, meat and drinks served in various styles. You maybe be able to try boodog, when an entire goat,or preferably marmot, is slowly roasted from the inside out by placing hot rocks inside the skinned carcass, sealing it and then placing the carcass on the fire. One boodog normally feeds 20 foreigners (or 10 Mongolians). Marmot are only eaten from mid-August and to mid-October. The other main highlight of Mongolian cuisine is Khorkhog, which is made by placing hot stones from the fire into a pot or milk urn with chopped sheep, some water and sometimes vodka and then sealing the pot and putting it on the fire. When eating both boodog and khorkhog, it is customary to pass the hot greasy rocks from hand to hand, as this is thought to be good for your health. The Mongols nomadic way of life and the country’s climatic conditions have given rise to specific method of preserving meat. The most widespread one is air-drying or bortslokh. Beef is cut into long strips which are hung in the shade. The meat dries very quickly becoming so hard that you can not cut it with a knife. Before use, the dried meat (borts) is powdered and then put into boiling water. In a minute you have a nourishing broth. Drivers like to take it on long distance trips to add to soups. The main cuisine for mongols is meat. Mongolians have utilized meat for food and treatment since ancient time. Sheep, cow and horse beef are like cousins for Mongols. Roast sheep meat is used for honored celebrations. The horse-flesh is used in treatment. Also, wild animal meat, fish and game are used in food and medicines. The boodog) is a genuine mongolian cuisine and has an excellent taste. To prepare boodog a thing wrapped (in something, e.g. in itself). Boodog is a familiar way of preparing meals, and mutton boodog is certainly a popular feast. Preparing mutton boodog is all the same. First the spine and all other bones as well as the intestines are removed from the animal, then the skin is stuffed with its own meet and pre-heated stones. After that, the neck is wound up and the thing gets roasted from the outside, too. The most delicious thing is the meat soup (shol) in Mongolian which has such a wonderful taste…

The nomads usually have food made by the women by boiling it. Usually the nomads eat homemade dairy products (called “tsagaan idee”) like cheese and creams and drink fermented mare’s milk (called “kumiss” in Turkish and “ayrag” in Mongolian). In the winter they eat lots of fatty meat, mainly mutton. The tail is considered a delicacy (its called “khoniny suul”) and the four ribs (”dorvon shiir”) is a favorite. Other notables include dumplings (similar to Chinese ones) called “bansh” along with steamed bread (”mantuu”) and deep-fried pastry (”boov”).

The Mongolian cuisine also uses fruits of all kinds, nuts, rice, seeds, mushroom, onion, spices, sweets and some more 100 other kinds of plants.

Cooking and serving boiled lamb without spices is not a deeply rooted Mongolian tradition, and any representatives of the nation happily parted from old habits in favor of paprika, pepper, marjoram, etc. Mix flour and little water (salting permitted) to make dough; flatten to 2-3 mm, cut ~ 10-15 cm diameter discs, fill with minced lamb (keep the fat); form a ball in your hand by pinching the edges together; leave a little opening on top; put over steam for 15 minutes. The meat boils in its own juice, keeping all vitamins, minerals, trace elements. It is the famous buuz. Here is the recipe for the fried version of buuz, the khuushuur. Dough and fill is the same as for buuz. Dough: flour and water, salt, make dough, flatten to 1-2 mm, cut discs of 10-15 cm diameter with a cup. Fill: minced meat. Spices: typically none, but salt; paprika, pepper, especially marjoram help a lot. Put the disc of dough in your palm, put the minced meat on it and flap the dough over it.

Pinch the two dough layers together. No holes should be left, otherwise the juice of the meat will disappear. The khuushuur is flat, about 2 cm thick. Fry both sides in lamb fat. The colour of the fried dough should be light brown. It is crisp at the edges and soft in the middle.

The pattern of the pinched edges of buuz and khuushuur is a matter of competition and pride. Several delicate forms can be made by the fingers, the smaller and thinner is the better for buuz. The margins should not be very thin for the khuushuur, because it burns when frying.