Foodsafari Mongolia - Mutton, Goat or Horse?

If you are vegan, do not go to Mongolia as you will starve to death.

If you are a vego, consider not to go to Mongolia as you will slim down or consider catering for yourself.

If you love fatty meat, no vegos and some fermented and blend and deep fried food, this is your country.

Fact is, Mongolia is not Masterchef's destination of choice. Bottom line is, the land is not very fertile and as the winters are very harsh (-40 degree), everything will die including. The only chicken you will be able to eat is in the capital Ulaanbaatar, otherwise it is your choice of mutton, mutton, goat, goat and if you are lucky horse, beef, marmot or camel meat. Be aware that every part of the animal is being eaten, the skin is used and there is no waste. For the beginner buuz (steamed dumplings filled with meat - either mutton, goat or the better one are with horse meat), huushuur (deep fried flat dumplings filled with mutton or goat) or tsuivan (stir fried noodles with mutton or goat meat) are the way to go. The standard meal is a mutton soup with noodles, no vegos of course, and made from dried meat. The only available veggies are potatoes and if you are lucky a carot.  You get it, it is either meat with noodles, noodles with meat or noodle dough in dumpling form filled with meat. So it will look very different but the taste is consistent. For the more advanced experience go for a boiled sheep head which I could not win any takers over as I wanted to try bits like sheep lips, cheeks, eyes, ears, tongue or brain. The other more advanced meal is called khorhog of a marmot. For that the stomach of the marmot is being removed and the fellow is filled with heating stones and then burned from outside with a torch. As soon as tender it is being sliced and served.

The Mongolians are always concerned about fattining up the animals (and I believe themselves) up for winter so that they can survive the extreme temperatures. The love the real fatty bits which are a little bit hard to chew.

Good Appetite and Welcome to Mongolia. Believe me, after a while you are getting use to the smell of mutton if though you don't believe it.

Ah there is hope, at Khovsgol Lake we had some smoked fish, don't ask me the name, but it was probably the best Mongolian food we had...



buuz - dumplings filled with meat (photo: internet)



huushuur - Flat deep fried 'dumplings' filled with meat (photo: internet)

tsuivan - noodles with meat (mutton)

tsuivan - the fatty bits are the best (say the Mongols) as it will
fatten you up for Winter so you survive

Gourmet tsuivan - noodles with mutton and as a treat
potatoes and carots



Only available in gourmet restaurants in bigger cities:
noodles, rice, carots, cabbage, sausages (from can and
deep fried) and topped with an egg - what a feast



Horse meat is really good, similar to beef.



This one came as a veggie soup. Well it turned out
that the soup had meat (mutton) in and the veggies were
pretty standard: potatoes and carots



Our own feast prepared by our guide Sarah: goat meat with
veggies: potatoes and carots

Desert as a present from the nomads family: fermented chees
and something we were not sure of.



khorhog of a marmot - filled with hot stones and then burned
with a gas burner until it is cooked - yummie

Boiled sheep head - The best bits are the lips and cheeks, maybe the eyeballs...
(photo: internet as I couldn't photograph it...)

Our favorite meal: local smoked fish from Lake Khovsgol