Qymyz (koumis)
Fermented mare's milk, slightly fizzy and tangy, with a mild lactic note. Emblematic drink of Turkic nomadic peoples, consumed throughout summer for millennia.
Fermented mare's milk, slightly fizzy and tangy, with a mild lactic note. Emblematic drink of Turkic nomadic peoples, consumed throughout summer for millennia.
You see that leather pouch? That is the *saba*. My mother beat it a hundred times a day, and each strike made the mare's milk sing. Qymyz is the steppe in liquid form — sour like the morning wind, sweet like the grass of Saryarka after rain. When I play a *küi* all night at a *toï*, it is qymyz that carries me. The Russians who come to our steppes do not understand it at the first bowl, but by the third, they no longer want to stop.
- •Fresh mare's milk — a full bucket (base)
- •*Kor* (previous koumis starter) — a bowl (ferment)
Qymyz (koumis)
Fermented mare's milk, slightly fizzy and tangy, with a mild lactic note. Emblematic drink of Turkic nomadic peoples, consumed throughout summer for millennia.
Why this dish? Qymyz was the daily and ritual drink of the nomads of the steppe where Kurmangazy lived. The koumis season (summer) coincided with the great festivals and musician competitions (*aïtys*) in which he participated. It is said that koumis loosens the tongue and opens the heart — exactly what a dombra player needed before going on stage.
You see that leather pouch? That is the *saba*. My mother beat it a hundred times a day, and each strike made the mare's milk sing. Qymyz is the steppe in liquid form — sour like the morning wind, sweet like the grass of Saryarka after rain. When I play a *küi* all night at a *toï*, it is qymyz that carries me. The Russians who come to our steppes do not understand it at the first bowl, but by the third, they no longer want to stop.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh mare's milk — a full bucket (base)
- *Kor* (previous koumis starter) — a bowl (ferment)
Ingredients
- Fresh mare's milk (or whole organic cow's milk) — 1 liter (base)
- Milk kefir — 100 ml (substitute ferment)
- Liquid honey (optional) — 1 tbsp (to mellow acidity)
Method
- If using fresh mare's milk: warm the milk to 30°C. Add kefir as starter. Mix well.
- Pour into a glass or ceramic container, cover with a cloth. Let ferment at room temperature (20–25°C) for 24 to 48 hours.
- Every 3–4 hours, shake the mixture vigorously (this is the traditional beating — it promotes fermentation and a fizzy texture).
- Taste: qymyz is ready when it is slightly fizzy, distinctly sour, with a fine foam on the surface. Adjust sourness by varying fermentation time.
- Strain if necessary, refrigerate. Serve chilled, in a wide bowl.
How it was made : The *saba* (leather pouch made from tanned and smoked horsehide) gave koumis a particular woody taste. Kazakh nomads beat the *saba* between 50 and 200 times a day with a special stick (*bisirek*). Fresh koumis (one day) was mild and light; strong koumis (three days) was more alcoholic (up to 3%) and reserved for men. The qymyz season lasted from May to September, when mares foaled and produced milk. The Russian doctor Postnikov even opened a "koumis sanatorium" in Samara in 1858 to treat tuberculosis.
The contemporary twist : Serve qymyz in small frosted glasses with a wild mint leaf — a "steppe cocktail" style with no added alcohol.
Sources : Guillaume de Rubrouck, Voyage dans l'Empire mongol, 1253 (detailed description of koumis) · Peter Finke, "Nomads and the State in Central Asia", in Variations on the Theme of Kazakhness, 2014
Kourmangazy · Charactorium
