flipKoumiss, the Horsemen's Fermented Mare's Milk
Koumiss, the Horsemen's Fermented Mare's Milk
Why this dish? Fermented mare's milk is the emblematic drink of the steppe horse peoples from whom the Huns originated. Slightly tangy and a little effervescent, it accompanied Attila's daily life as well as that of his humblest warrior.
A white, frothy milk, tangy and alive, obtained by letting mare's milk ferment. Thirst-quenching and nourishing, it was the 'wine' of the steppe men, who had neither vine nor cellar.
You seek the wine of your cities? Here, the mare offers it to us. We beat the milk in the waterskin from morning to night, let it sour, and it tingles on the tongue like a horse shaking itself. Drink it, it makes the legs strong in the saddle and the heart light in battle. A people who live on horseback drink what the horse gives them.
- •Fresh mare's milk — a full waterskin (base)
- •Leftover koumiss (starter) — a little (ferment)
Koumiss, the Horsemen's Fermented Mare's Milk
A white, frothy milk, tangy and alive, obtained by letting mare's milk ferment. Thirst-quenching and nourishing, it was the 'wine' of the steppe men, who had neither vine nor cellar.
Why this dish? Fermented mare's milk is the emblematic drink of the steppe horse peoples from whom the Huns originated. Slightly tangy and a little effervescent, it accompanied Attila's daily life as well as that of his humblest warrior.
You seek the wine of your cities? Here, the mare offers it to us. We beat the milk in the waterskin from morning to night, let it sour, and it tingles on the tongue like a horse shaking itself. Drink it, it makes the legs strong in the saddle and the heart light in battle. A people who live on horseback drink what the horse gives them.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh mare's milk — a full waterskin (base)
- Leftover koumiss (starter) — a little (ferment)
Ingredients
- Milk (mare's if available, otherwise whole cow's milk diluted with a little water) — 1 L (base)
- Plain milk kefir (as starter) — 2 tbsp (ferment)
Method
- Pour the milk at room temperature into a clean container.
- Add the starter (leftover koumiss or kefir) and mix.
- Cover with a cloth and let ferment 1 to 2 days at room temperature.
- Beat or stir several times a day to aerate: this makes the drink frothy and slightly fizzy.
- Taste: when tangy and fresh, store in a cool place and drink within a few days.
How it was made : Nomads fermented mare's milk in large leather waterskins hung up, which were beaten as they passed with a stick. Fermentation transformed the milk's sugar into acid and a little very light alcohol, making the drink digestible and storable for a few days under the hot steppe climate.
The contemporary twist : Serve well chilled in a brushed metal cup: an ancestral 'milky lemonade', distant ancestor of our kefirs and drinking yogurts.
Sources : Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae, book XXXI (customs of the Huns)
Attila · Charactorium
