Physical Description
Milk-like.
Colors: White.
Tasting Notes
Flavors: Slightly sour
Mouthfeel: Creamy
Substitutes: Other varieties of milk
Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december
Choosing: Fresh smelling and looking.
Buying: Even in the areas of the world where kumis is popular today, mare's milk remains a very limited commodity, especially in the US.
Procuring: Before fermentation, the cow's milk is fortified in one of several ways. Sucrose may be added, to allow a comparable fermentation. Another technique adds modified whey in order to better approximate the composition of mare's milk.
In modern controlled production, the initial fermentation takes two to five hours at a temperature of around 27°C (80°F); this may be followed by a cooler aging period. The finished product contains between 0.7 and 2.5% alcohol.
Preparation and Use
As indicated above, kumis is usually served cold or chilled. Traditionally it is sipped out of small, handle-less, bowl-shaped cups or saucers, called pialkas .
Conserving and Storing
When stored, milk should be refrigerated, placed in the center of the refrigerator close to the optimum cooling temperature for freshness. When it spoils, the milk will emit a sour aroma that should be easily detected.
Social/Political
The drink remains important to the people of the Central Asian steppes, including the Turks, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Yakuts and Uzbeks.
History: In Mongolia, the milking season for horses traditionally runs between mid-June and early October. During one season, a mare produces approximately 1,000 to 1,200 kilograms of milk, of which about half is left to the foals.
The serving of it is an essential part of Kyrgyz hospitality on the jailoo or high pasture, where they keep their herds of animals ( horse, cattle, and sheep) during the summer phase of transhumance.
In 2005, George W. Bush visited Mongolia, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, "and probably the first to drink fermented mare's milk in a felt tent guarded by the latter-day Golden Horde and a herd of camels and yaks", according to the Washington Post.
