flipBorts, the Dried Meat of Horsemen
Borts, the Dried Meat of Horsemen
Why this dish? On the Silk Road, between Hormuz and Shangdu, Marco Polo shared the everyday fare of Mongol horsemen: meat dried in the wind and sun, reduced to shreds, which a warrior carried for weeks and diluted in hot water come evening.
Fine strips of beef air-dried until hard as wood, then shredded. They are chewed as is while riding, or rehydrated in a boiling broth to make a nourishing soup at night in the middle of the steppes.
Know, you who read me, that in the great plains of the Khan I saw the riders carry neither pot nor bread. They sliced beef as thin as thread, left it in the wind until it was dry and light, and a single such piece fed ten men for many days. In the evening, they cast it into hot water, and behold a soup for those who had nothing. Believe me, never was provision wiser for one who roams the world as I have roamed.
- •Lean beef — a quarter (base to dry)
- •Salt — by hand (preservation)
Borts, the Dried Meat of Horsemen
Fine strips of beef air-dried until hard as wood, then shredded. They are chewed as is while riding, or rehydrated in a boiling broth to make a nourishing soup at night in the middle of the steppes.
Why this dish? On the Silk Road, between Hormuz and Shangdu, Marco Polo shared the everyday fare of Mongol horsemen: meat dried in the wind and sun, reduced to shreds, which a warrior carried for weeks and diluted in hot water come evening.
Know, you who read me, that in the great plains of the Khan I saw the riders carry neither pot nor bread. They sliced beef as thin as thread, left it in the wind until it was dry and light, and a single such piece fed ten men for many days. In the evening, they cast it into hot water, and behold a soup for those who had nothing. Believe me, never was provision wiser for one who roams the world as I have roamed.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lean beef — a quarter (base to dry)
- Salt — by hand (preservation)
Ingredients
- Very lean beef (rump or round) — 500 g (base)
- Fine salt — 2 tsp (preservation and flavor)
- Boiling water — 1 liter (for soup) (rehydration)
Method
- Trim all fat from the meat and slice it into the thinnest possible strips, along the grain.
- Lightly salt each strip.
- Dry in a dehydrator (60°C) or oven with door ajar (70°C) for 6–10 hours, until the meat is brittle and dark.
- Store in a dry cloth. For soup: shred a handful and let it swell in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.
How it was made : Mongol borts was made without fire: strips were hung under the saddle or in the yurt, and the cold, dry wind of the steppe did the work. A whole carcass fit into a cattle bladder and fed a rider for an entire campaign.
The contemporary twist : Served as shavings over a steaming clear broth, a 'steppe consommé', with a sprig of spring onion.
Sources : Marco Polo, *The Description of the World* (The Book of Marvels) · William of Rubruck, *Itinerarium* (travel account among the Mongols, 13th c.)
Marco Polo · Charactorium
