Қымыз (Koumiss)
Fermented mare's milk, slightly sparkling and sour, churned in a leather sack. Nutritious and refreshing nomadic drink in summer, rich in vitamins and natural probiotics.
Fermented mare's milk, slightly sparkling and sour, churned in a leather sack. Nutritious and refreshing nomadic drink in summer, rich in vitamins and natural probiotics.
Koumiss is the milk that the steppe itself gives us in summer. My mother churned it in the leather saba, a hundred times, two hundred times a day, and the sack never stopped working. They say a man who drinks koumiss does not know illness. I do not know if that is true of all illnesses, but I know that without it, summer would be as arid as winter. When I write late at night, a bowl of fresh koumiss clears my mind better than Russian tea.
- •Fresh mare's milk — one bucket (about 5 liters) (Fermentation base)
- •Starter (leftover koumiss — kör) — one bowl (Fermentation starter)
Қымыз (Koumiss)
Fermented mare's milk, slightly sparkling and sour, churned in a leather sack. Nutritious and refreshing nomadic drink in summer, rich in vitamins and natural probiotics.
Why this dish? Koumiss was the daily summer drink in Kazakh camps. Abai, raised among the herds of his influential family in the Chingiz-Tau mountains, grew up with the seasonal rhythm of mare milking. Koumiss appears in Kazakh poetry as a symbol of the nourishing steppe — a world that Abai celebrated while wanting to evolve it.
Koumiss is the milk that the steppe itself gives us in summer. My mother churned it in the leather saba, a hundred times, two hundred times a day, and the sack never stopped working. They say a man who drinks koumiss does not know illness. I do not know if that is true of all illnesses, but I know that without it, summer would be as arid as winter. When I write late at night, a bowl of fresh koumiss clears my mind better than Russian tea.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh mare's milk — one bucket (about 5 liters) (Fermentation base)
- Starter (leftover koumiss — kör) — one bowl (Fermentation starter)
Ingredients
- Fresh mare's milk (or whole cow's milk as substitute) — 1 liter (Fermentation base)
- Milk kefir — 100 ml (Fermentation starter (substitute for kör))
- Liquid honey (optional, if using cow's milk) — 1 tbsp (Compensate for lower natural sweetness)
Method
- Warm the milk to about 30°C (body temperature). If using mare's milk, do not boil it.
- Stir in the kefir (or koumiss starter if available) while whisking vigorously for 5 minutes.
- Pour into a glass or ceramic container, cover with a clean cloth. Let ferment at room temperature (20-25°C) for 24 to 48 hours, whisking vigorously every 6 hours.
- Taste regularly: koumiss is ready when slightly sparkling, sour and frothy. The longer it ferments, the more acidic and alcoholic (1 to 2.5% ABV).
- Strain if necessary, transfer to an airtight bottle and refrigerate. Consume within 3 days.
How it was made : Koumiss was prepared in a saba, a large leather sack made from tanned and smoked horsehide, hung at the entrance of the yurt. Every passerby had to give it a churn — a gesture of hospitality that maintained fermentation. Mares were milked 4 to 6 times a day in summer. Light koumiss (one day) was the daily drink; strong koumiss (3-4 days) was reserved for celebrations. The saba was never washed with water, only fumigated, to preserve the bacterial cultures.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a small handcrafted ceramic bowl, well-chilled, with a touch of finesse: a pinch of ground cardamom on the surface, a nod to the Silk Road caravan exchanges that Abai knew.
Sources : Жұбанов А. К., Қазақ халқының тамақ мәдениеті (Food Culture of the Kazakh People), Almaty, 1998 · Dahl, Vladimir, Толковый словарь живого великорусского языка, article « Кумыс », 1863-1866
Abai Kunanbaev · Charactorium
