Qurt — Dried Steppe Cheese
Small balls of fermented cheese dried in the sun, extremely hard and salty. They are eaten as-is for a snack, or dissolved in hot water to make an instant milky soup. Their almost unlimited shelf life makes them the ancestor of the military ration.
Small balls of fermented cheese dried in the sun, extremely hard and salty. They are eaten as-is for a snack, or dissolved in hot water to make an instant milky soup. Their almost unlimited shelf life makes them the ancestor of the military ration.
When I launch my tümen across the steppe, every horseman carries qurt in his leather pouch — no heavier than a stone, more nourishing than ten days of hunting. My women shape it at the end of summer, when the milk is rich and the sun still burns. We knead, salt, dry on the felt of the yurt. A piece in the mouth during the ride, and hunger retreats. When my warriors besieged Moscow, it was qurt that lasted longer than Prince Dmitri's walls.
- •Curdled sheep or cow's milk (drained suzme/katyk) — a large cauldron (Cheese base)
- •Rock salt — a generous handful (Preservative and flavor)
Qurt — Dried Steppe Cheese
Small balls of fermented cheese dried in the sun, extremely hard and salty. They are eaten as-is for a snack, or dissolved in hot water to make an instant milky soup. Their almost unlimited shelf life makes them the ancestor of the military ration.
Why this dish? Qurt is the quintessential survival ration of nomadic horsemen. During his long campaigns against Tamerlane — from the Caucasus to the Syr Darya — Tokhtamysh's troops carried qurt in their saddlebags. Diluted in water, it provided a nourishing broth; dry, it kept for months without spoiling. It was literally the food logistics that made Mongol mobile warfare possible.
When I launch my tümen across the steppe, every horseman carries qurt in his leather pouch — no heavier than a stone, more nourishing than ten days of hunting. My women shape it at the end of summer, when the milk is rich and the sun still burns. We knead, salt, dry on the felt of the yurt. A piece in the mouth during the ride, and hunger retreats. When my warriors besieged Moscow, it was qurt that lasted longer than Prince Dmitri's walls.
Ingredients (period version)
- Curdled sheep or cow's milk (drained suzme/katyk) — a large cauldron (Cheese base)
- Rock salt — a generous handful (Preservative and flavor)
Ingredients
- Plain full-fat Greek yogurt (thick) — 1 kg (Cheese base)
- Fine salt — 2 tsp (Preservative)
Method
- Mix the Greek yogurt with salt in a bowl.
- Pour into a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel tied over a bowl. Let drain in the refrigerator for 24 hours to remove as much whey as possible.
- Retrieve the thick paste. Shape into walnut-sized balls (about 20 g each) and flatten slightly.
- Place the balls on a rack lined with parchment paper. Let dry in a warm, ventilated place (or in an oven with the door ajar at 50 °C) for 3 to 5 days, turning them daily.
- The qurt are ready when they are very hard and dry to the touch, cream-white to pale yellow.
- Store in a cloth bag at room temperature. To consume as soup, dissolve one or two qurt in a bowl of boiling water.
How it was made : Qurt (or kurut, korut) is attested among Turco-Mongol peoples since antiquity. Marco Polo describes the preparation of dried milk powder among the Mongols in the 13th century — a similar technique. Mongol military sources mention that each horseman carried about 5 kg of qurt on campaign, sufficient for several weeks. This logistical capacity was a major strategic advantage of the Mongol army, enabling rapid movements without a heavy supply train.
The contemporary twist : Crumble a qurt over grilled vegetable salad for a "steppe Parmesan" effect — the intense saltiness and lactic acidity remarkably enhance the vegetables.
Sources : Marco Polo, « Le Devisement du monde », ca. 1298 (trad. A.-C. Moule & Paul Pelliot) · Paul D. Buell, Eugene N. Anderson, « A Soup for the Qan », Brill, 2010
Tokhtamysh · Charactorium
