The World in Breakfast Dishes

Airag and Mutton Soup – Mongolia

Perhaps one of the strangest items on this list is airag. It’s not a food but a drink – and it’s alcoholic. Specifically, it is fermented horse milk, and the Mongolians are very proud of it. In fact, it is considered incredibly rude to refuse it if offered. Alongside with this particular delicacy, you will often find mutton noodle soup. This type of soup isn’t too different from the more conventional chicken noodle soup, but seasoned differently.

Mongolia gets quite cold, so soups and other warm meals feature a lot. If you are looking for something more adventurous than noodle soup and weren’t satisfied by airag, there is another delicacy available, marmot. Somewhat hard to catch in the wild and occasionally diseased, this is something that may be offered to a tourist as a favor or to impress them. Unlike airag, it’s perfectly polite to refuse though, if you’d rather see these furry creatures go about their business in the wild.

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