Kumis and Dairy Drinks · FFET10394
Kumis (fermented mare's milk)
Mare's milk fermented into a slightly sour alcoholic drink, served at steppe gatherings, weddings and festivals.
Fermented mare's milk, and the other drinks made from milk.
Kumis is a slightly sour, lightly alcoholic drink made by fermenting mare's milk, found in Inner Mongolia, on the Mongolian Plateau and across the Central Asian steppe. Traditionally, the milk is held in a leather vessel and agitated to encourage fermentation. The drink is also served at neighborhood gatherings, weddings and festivals.
What
Kumis is fermented mare's milk with a sour taste and a low alcohol content. Both lactic acid bacteria and yeast take part in fermentation.3
When
The commentary postscript to Hei Da Shi Lue is dated 1237. The text describes mare's milk left in leather vessels for several days and drunk when slightly sour, calling it ma ni zi rather than ma nai jiu. This is written evidence of fermented mare's milk, not an origin date for the drink or its current Chinese name. Rubruck's account of his 1253–1255 journey also describes churning and fermenting mare's milk in a skin; the translation used here was published in 1900.1,2
Where
Kumis is found in Inner Mongolia, on the Mongolian Plateau and across the Central Asian steppe. It is consumed by Mongols, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other steppe peoples.3,5
How
Traditionally, mare's milk is placed in a leather vessel and stirred or shaken as it ferments. Thirteenth-century accounts describe churning the milk with a wooden stick and leaving it for several days until slightly sour. Later methods also use wooden barrels.1,2,4
Why
Kumis also has a place at social gatherings, including meetings between neighbors, weddings and festivals.5
Impact and influence
In 2020 an Inner Mongolia company reportedly received a production license for a pasteurized sour mare's milk drink. The license concerns that drink; no kumis production figures are given.6