Taste of Tradition: 10 Mongolian Foods You Can't Miss
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          <h2>Mongolia, with its wide open plains, high mountains, and rich nomadic culture, has a unique and tasty cuisine. The food here is hearty and reflects the resourceful nature of its people. From delicious meat dishes to special dairy products, there are many flavors to explore. As you travel through this amazing country, make sure to try these ten must-try foods that give you a true taste of Mongolia's culinary traditions.<div><br></div></h2><h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold"><div>Suutei Tsai | Salty Milk Tea</div><div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/fea7e846b279a66257379beb36266c1c.jpeg"></p><div class="image-caption">Photo source: montsame.mn</div><p>This milk tea is unlike other milk teas found in Eastern Asia. In Mongolia, tsai is made from a simple recipe that includes salt, which creates a flavor profile that can take time for foreigners to become accustomed to. <br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold"><div>Boortsog | Fried Dough</div><div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/ded3f24dfb8cca0d785ea23f6dbb81ef.jpg"></p><div class="image-caption">Photo source: Ulzii brand</div><p>Salt, sugar, water, butter, and flour become this fried dough treat, most often eaten with sugar, butter, or yogurt. Eaten throughout Central Asia and often equated with donuts, in Mongolian boortsog is more commonly dipped in tea (suutei tsai), like a biscuit or cookie. <br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold">Airag | Fermented Mare’s Milk<div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/6c845e545e617b4078fa13b5c737cc56.jpg"></p><p></p><p><br></p><p>This alcoholic beverage comes from the coveted mare’s milk, which is then fermented in an open leather sack called a khukhuur. Airag is said to improve overall health when consumed in moderation and plays an important role at celebrations and summer festivals such as Naadam. <br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold">Aaruul | Curds<div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/3fa1256195d94c5b4e4257ff06ab9b4d.jpg"></p><div class="image-caption">Photo source: Khuns.mn</div><p>Commonly eaten in summer, aaruul is one of the primary dishes consumed by the nomadic peoples of Mongolia. Sheep, goat, cow, and yak are the most common providers of the milk needed to make aaruul, which can be flavored with herbs for a savory serving, or sugar and fruit for a sweeter preparation. </p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold">Buuz | Dumplings<div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/bd3496561d686f516054fc0992e03292.jpg"></p><div class="image-caption">Photo source: Эрүүл бууз</div><p>The meat-filled steamed dumplings may be the most widely known of Mongolian dishes. We often eat buuz, but mainly eat these dumplings during the Lunar New Year. These two-bite dumplings are typically filled with minced mutton and flavored with seasonal herbs such as onions.<br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold"><div>Khuushuur | Meat Hot Pocket</div><div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/eab714da893c30ae6a5e154d8e096453.jpg"></p><div class="image-caption">Photo source: Tusgal.mn</div><p>Another dumpling-like dish, khuushuur is more closely linked to Russian cuisine, rather than East Asian. The meat, whether it’s mutton, camel, or otherwise, is ground with onion or garlic, packed into a circle of dough, then deep fried into its final form. We often eat khuushuur during the Naadam Festival. <br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold">Tsuivan | Fried Noodles and Meat<div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/70a8544f9d37f98a2f81d128e5d02b0d.jpg"></p><p></p><p><br></p><p>Tsuivan is a fried noodle dish served with fried meat and vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. It's not a lie to say that all Mongolian men like to eat Tsuivan and it’s one of the most widely eaten dishes in Mongolia. <br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold"><div>Boodog | Meat Cooked in the Carcass with Hot Stones</div><div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/0e98dc9b6286aa49253bcea9c88e94a1.jpg"></p><p></p><p><br></p><p>Boodog, a barbecue style in which the dish is cooked inside a carcass. Goat and marmot are the most popular animals to barbecue, and both are cooked by having hot stones slipped into the inside of the carcass once the meat has been separated from the skin. <br></p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold"><div>Bantan | Porridge </div><div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/c609095c33947fe63637466db456cf40.jpg"></p><p></p><p><br></p><p>Mongolians praise Bantan as a food with a gold medal. Because most Mongolians eat this food first after weaning. The main ingredients are just meat and flour and we sometimes eat it when we’re having a hangover.</p>
<h3 class="text-uppercase text-blue text-bold"><div>Guriltai Shul | Noodle and Meat Soup</div><div><br></div></h3><p><img class="uk-width-1-1 lightbox" alt="" src="https://unread.today/files/969a1aed-77a4-45e9-b7b7-3ee2709aaf31/feea158df487e6878f4266fda6887ab9.jpg"></p><p></p><p><br></p><p>Noodles are most popular in Asian culture, but for us Mongolians, Guriltai shul is the most popular dish. This meat-based noodle soup is another traditional favorite, typically featuring a clear mutton stock, vegetables, and of course, hand-made noodles.</p>
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Mongolia, with its wide open plains, high mountains, and rich nomadic culture, has a unique and tasty cuisine. The food here is hearty and reflects the resourceful nature of its people. From delicious meat dishes to special dairy products, there are many flavors to explore. As you travel through this amazing country, make sure to try these ten must-try foods that give you a true taste of Mongolia's culinary traditions.
Suutei Tsai | Salty Milk Tea
Photo source: montsame.mn
This milk tea is unlike other milk teas found in Eastern Asia. In Mongolia, tsai is made from a simple recipe that includes salt, which creates a flavor profile that can take time for foreigners to become accustomed to.

Boortsog | Fried Dough
Photo source: Ulzii brand
Salt, sugar, water, butter, and flour become this fried dough treat, most often eaten with sugar, butter, or yogurt. Eaten throughout Central Asia and often equated with donuts, in Mongolian boortsog is more commonly dipped in tea (suutei tsai), like a biscuit or cookie.

Airag | Fermented Mare’s Milk
This alcoholic beverage comes from the coveted mare’s milk, which is then fermented in an open leather sack called a khukhuur. Airag is said to improve overall health when consumed in moderation and plays an important role at celebrations and summer festivals such as Naadam.

Aaruul | Curds
Photo source: Khuns.mn
Commonly eaten in summer, aaruul is one of the primary dishes consumed by the nomadic peoples of Mongolia. Sheep, goat, cow, and yak are the most common providers of the milk needed to make aaruul, which can be flavored with herbs for a savory serving, or sugar and fruit for a sweeter preparation.

Buuz | Dumplings
Photo source: Эрүүл бууз
The meat-filled steamed dumplings may be the most widely known of Mongolian dishes. We often eat buuz, but mainly eat these dumplings during the Lunar New Year. These two-bite dumplings are typically filled with minced mutton and flavored with seasonal herbs such as onions.

Khuushuur | Meat Hot Pocket
Photo source: Tusgal.mn
Another dumpling-like dish, khuushuur is more closely linked to Russian cuisine, rather than East Asian. The meat, whether it’s mutton, camel, or otherwise, is ground with onion or garlic, packed into a circle of dough, then deep fried into its final form. We often eat khuushuur during the Naadam Festival.

Tsuivan | Fried Noodles and Meat
Tsuivan is a fried noodle dish served with fried meat and vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. It's not a lie to say that all Mongolian men like to eat Tsuivan and it’s one of the most widely eaten dishes in Mongolia.

Boodog | Meat Cooked in the Carcass with Hot Stones
Boodog, a barbecue style in which the dish is cooked inside a carcass. Goat and marmot are the most popular animals to barbecue, and both are cooked by having hot stones slipped into the inside of the carcass once the meat has been separated from the skin.

Bantan | Porridge
Mongolians praise Bantan as a food with a gold medal. Because most Mongolians eat this food first after weaning. The main ingredients are just meat and flour and we sometimes eat it when we’re having a hangover.

Guriltai Shul | Noodle and Meat Soup
Noodles are most popular in Asian culture, but for us Mongolians, Guriltai shul is the most popular dish. This meat-based noodle soup is another traditional favorite, typically featuring a clear mutton stock, vegetables, and of course, hand-made noodles.

Mongolia, with its wide open plains, high mountains, and rich nomadic culture, has a unique and tasty cuisine. The food here is hearty and reflects the resourceful nature of its people. From delicious meat dishes to special dairy products, there are many flavors to explore. As you travel through this amazing country, make sure to try these ten must-try foods that give you a true taste of Mongolia's culinary traditions.
### Suutei Tsai | Salty Milk Tea
Photo source: montsame.mn
This milk tea is unlike other milk teas found in Eastern Asia. In Mongolia, tsai is made from a simple recipe that includes salt, which creates a flavor profile that can take time for foreigners to become accustomed to.
### Boortsog | Fried Dough
Photo source: Ulzii brand
Salt, sugar, water, butter, and flour become this fried dough treat, most often eaten with sugar, butter, or yogurt. Eaten throughout Central Asia and often equated with donuts, in Mongolian boortsog is more commonly dipped in tea (suutei tsai), like a biscuit or cookie.
### Airag | Fermented Mare’s Milk
This alcoholic beverage comes from the coveted mare’s milk, which is then fermented in an open leather sack called a khukhuur. Airag is said to improve overall health when consumed in moderation and plays an important role at celebrations and summer festivals such as Naadam.
### Aaruul | Curds
Photo source: Khuns.mn
Commonly eaten in summer, aaruul is one of the primary dishes consumed by the nomadic peoples of Mongolia. Sheep, goat, cow, and yak are the most common providers of the milk needed to make aaruul, which can be flavored with herbs for a savory serving, or sugar and fruit for a sweeter preparation.
### Buuz | Dumplings
Photo source: Эрүүл бууз
The meat-filled steamed dumplings may be the most widely known of Mongolian dishes. We often eat buuz, but mainly eat these dumplings during the Lunar New Year. These two-bite dumplings are typically filled with minced mutton and flavored with seasonal herbs such as onions.
### Khuushuur | Meat Hot Pocket
Photo source: Tusgal.mn
Another dumpling-like dish, khuushuur is more closely linked to Russian cuisine, rather than East Asian. The meat, whether it’s mutton, camel, or otherwise, is ground with onion or garlic, packed into a circle of dough, then deep fried into its final form. We often eat khuushuur during the Naadam Festival.
### Tsuivan | Fried Noodles and Meat
Tsuivan is a fried noodle dish served with fried meat and vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. It's not a lie to say that all Mongolian men like to eat Tsuivan and it’s one of the most widely eaten dishes in Mongolia.
### Boodog | Meat Cooked in the Carcass with Hot Stones
Boodog, a barbecue style in which the dish is cooked inside a carcass. Goat and marmot are the most popular animals to barbecue, and both are cooked by having hot stones slipped into the inside of the carcass once the meat has been separated from the skin.
### Bantan | Porridge
Mongolians praise Bantan as a food with a gold medal. Because most Mongolians eat this food first after weaning. The main ingredients are just meat and flour and we sometimes eat it when we’re having a hangover.
### Guriltai Shul | Noodle and Meat Soup
Noodles are most popular in Asian culture, but for us Mongolians, Guriltai shul is the most popular dish. This meat-based noodle soup is another traditional favorite, typically featuring a clear mutton stock, vegetables, and of course, hand-made noodles.